Sonic the Hedgehog -REVAMP-
by HedgehogSuperHeroUniverse
Summary: Teenager Connor is given the extraordinary power to transform into an anthropomorphic hedgehog and run at the speed of sound. While struggling to discover the secret behind his parents' death, he tries to win the heart of his high school crush. The unraveling of the past will ultimately form his path to becoming "Sonic The Hedgehog," but will force him to face a deadly foe.
1. Discovery

**QUICK NOTE: Everything from Chapter 13 onwards is new.**

Jeff and Darla didn't want their son to have only two limbs, but he did. They wished he could walk on two fully functioning legs, but he couldn't. Connor was once a troublemaker, but the trauma of having both legs ripped off his body changed something inside him. He became depressed, anxious, and moody. They were desperate for him to be happy again. They knew none of his meds or equipment could do so.

By the time Connor could walk, they knew he would be a runner. As a baby, he would crawl and crawl for what seemed like forever. After learning to walk, he would push himself to go further, no matter how many times he fell down. They could see a fighter in him.

And then he lost his legs.

Jeff and Darla were archeologists. Jeff remembered when he first saw Darla. They'd met on a site underground, looking for an ancient artifact—the Master Emerald. They were obsessed with finding it. They knew that with the existence of the Chaos Emeralds, the Master Emerald would exist too. They heard stories—legends—of its power, and how it was even more powerful than the seven Chaos Emeralds. This led them to the theory that it could control the Chaos Emeralds.

One night, when Connor was seven, Jeff received a phone call while reviewing his research. It came with big news: the Master Emerald had been found on an island in the Atlantic known as Christmas Island (a nickname given to it for being found on December 25th).

Jeff immediately told Darla the news. She was watching TV with Connor, who was munching on his favorite thing to eat, a chili dog. Christmas decorations were spread all across the room, and reach further into the house. Empire City became one of the most beautiful cities in the world this time of year.

"Darla, I need to tell you something," Jeff said, quietly whispering into her ear.

"What is it?" she asked as she looked at him.

Jeff couldn't contain his excitement. "They found it."

Darla's look if confusion was replaced by a look of happiness. "The…the…"

Jeff nodded.

"Honey, that's great!" she said, reaching up to give him a hug.

"Yeah, but there's something else."

"What?"

"They want us to look at it right away."

Darla looked at the happy and content Connor. "But what about him?"

"We won't be gone long, I think," Jeff assured her. "He'll be fine."

"But you know how he is when we're not with him," she reminded him. "He gets scared."

Jeff took her aside where Connor couldn't hear them. "Darla, the Master Emerald will most likely have the power to… get Connor his legs back. It could cure diseases. Its power is limitless. And now we know where it is."

Darla looked back at Connor. "He'll be so happy…"

"Exactly. We have to do this."

Darla sighed. "He'll miss us."

"It'll all be worth it," said Jeff. "I'll call my parents and ask if he can stay with them."

"They'll say yes?"

"They always do."

They practically sped when they drove to Jeff's parents' house. Connor waited near the corner of his grandparents' living room as his mom and dad sat in the dining room, discussing the discovery of the Master Emerald and that Connor needed to be taken care of. Connor's grandmother caught his eye and smiled at him, and Connor smiled back. He liked staying with Grandpa Gene and Granny Wilma, sometimes.

After they made out a plan, Jeff kneeled in squatted next to Connor and his wheelchair to talk to him.

"Connor, Mom and I are gonna be gone for awhile, so you're gonna stay here with Grandma and Grandpa, okay?"

"But I wanna go with you," Connor protested. "You promised."

"I know I did," Jeff said. "When you're older, you will. Good things come to those who wait."

Connor hugged his dad. "Please…"

Jeff peeled his son's arms from his shoulders. "Don't forget your meds, and rub your stumps."

"But it hurts," Connor whined.

Jeff chuckled and stood up. "We're leaving soon," he told Darla.

Jeff's wife picked Connor up from his wheelchair and gave him a big hug. "Make sure you do everything Granny and Grandpa tell you, okay?"

"Okay," Connor struggled to say.

Darla set him back down and went out the door with Jeff. Connor rolled over to it and watched his parents get in the car. He had no idea that he would never see them again.

Christmas Island was a beautiful place. It was uninhabited by humans, so animals like birds and insects roamed freely. Jeff, Darla, and a few other archeologists were led to a cave that was deep in the jungle. The entrance led them to a sprawling underground maze that took them literally two days to figure out. The whole time Jeff thought of Connor. What was he doing? _How_ was he doing? Jeff knew these trips took a toll on Connor. What if they didn't make it home? No, he couldn't think of that. Now it was time to solve the mystery of the Master Emerald.

The group came to a large chamber that was illuminated by the light of crystals, which was coming from the light of the Emerald. It was positioned a few inches off a rock in the middle of a large pool of water. The group had no choice but to swim to see it. They tried to ignore the discomfort of their wet clothes as well as the worry that the contents of their packs got wet. Jeff fell to his knees at the large, cyan-colored gem in front of him. This discovery would change the world. This discovery would change his life.

He got in closer to the Emerald and peered inside. He thought he could see two blank, yellow eyes staring at him, with some sort of pink stone above them.

"Leeeeave heeeere," a deep, stark voice reverberated through the chamber.

Jeff turned to Darla, fear-stricken. "Did you hear that?" he asked her.

"Hear what?" she asked.

"That voice!"

She shook her head.

The voice spoke again. " _Leeeeeeeeeeeeeave heeeeeeeeeeeeere!_ "

The Emerald started to crack. They yellow eyes inside it began to glow. Then, to Jeff's horror, the Emerald split into pieces and unleashed something. It was some kind of humanoid being. It, along with the pieces of the Emerald, fell to the floor. The monster landed with a _plop_. Its body was watery and was the same color of the Emerald. The goup just stood there, frozen in fear.

"My name, Chaos…" the monster said, "remember it, for it will be the last name you shall remember."

"Chaos" stood up and threw a punch at a member of the group. Its arm stretched in order to reach him. The archeologist fell into the water, along with a piece of the Master Emerald. It sank to the bottom of the pool and was sucked into a hole, like the drain of a bathtub.

Chaos grabbed two more archeologists with its large hands and smashed their bodies together, killing them. It grabbed Darla and smashed her body into the ground, killing her also.

Jeff staggered backward at the sight of the death of the love of his life. "No…" he said. He locked eyes with Chaos. The monster began taking steps toward him.

"You are afraid," it said. "Good."

Jeff tried to dive into the pool to escape, but Chaos grabbed his ankle and pulled him out. Jeff squirmed in Chaos' Tight grip. Chaos wrapped its other hand around his head and started squeezing.

Jeff had broken his promise to Connor… He knew it…

"You cannot have the Emerald," the monster growled. "I am its guardian, fool." It then threw Jeff's lifeless body into the pool.

The pieces of the Master Emerald began to form back together, except for one piece. Chaos stared at the empty slot in anger.

" _Where is it?!_ " it yelled in rage. It dived in the pool to the hole in pursuit of it.


	2. Connor's Birthday

_8 Years Later_

Connor Ford got back in his wheelchair and scooted out the bathroom stall. He stopped at the sinks to wash his hands. He got as close as he could and locked his wheels, then stood up on his stumps. He was just tall enough to see the reflection of his head in the mirror. He was what you would call a "pretty boy," with a handsome face that had traces of facial hair. His eyes were a sky blue color, and he had short brown hair. As always, his cheeks were pink and rosy. He had a couple moles here and there on his face, with a small one under his nose and slightly larger one near his chin. He stared at himself as he leaned forward and washed his hands. He didn't see a pretty boy at all. He saw a sad-looking 15-year-old. Connor rinsed off his hands and tried to plaster on a smile. It was forced at first, but soon he got it to feel happy and natural. He moved over to the side of the bathroom where the paper towels were and dried his hands. He gripped the handle of the door and took a deep breath.

 _Just smile,_ he told himself. Of course, he didn't have to roll around the school with a big grin on his face. He just had to look happy. He opened the door and went out.

Connor attended Francis Howard High in Empire City. He was an average student, passing all of his classes but not having straight A's. He was a sophomore, and he was turning 16 soon. In fact, today was his birthday, so that meant he _was_ 16\. He considered himself to be in the middle of the social ladder. He wasn't that popular, and he didn't face that much bullying. Occasionally some jerk would make a snide comment about his lack of legs, but he did his best to ignore them. It took a lot of time when he was younger, but he eventually made himself believe that having no legs made him special. "God doesn't make mistakes," Granny Wilma always said.

The halls were jam-packed with other kids Connor's age trying to make it to class on time. Connor slowly maneuvered around them. Sometimes someone would bump into him and turn his wheelchair in an unwanted direction, but he learned to handle it. The other kids he grew up with never gave him any special treatment because he was handicapped, and he appreciated that. He didn't need people feeling sorry for him. What happened had happened, and he knew nothing could change that.

The hallway traffic trimmed down, and Connor made it to his locker. He opened it and, just like using the skink, got as close as he could before standing on his stumps to reach his things. When he first got this locker, the janitor lowered the plate that books and whatnot were put on. Connor didn't even think that was possible. It was better than just putting his stuff on the bottom. He got his things out and put them in the sack behind his wheelchair.

"Hey! Connor!" he heard someone yell.

He closed his locker and saw his best friend Miles Prower, a freshmen, hurriedly walking toward him. Miles looked like a true nerd. He had red hair and freckles all over his face. He wore oversized braces that made his speech sound funny.

Connor put on that smile and turned towards him. "Hey, buddy. How's it going?"

"Pretty good. You?"

"Yeah, me, too. Hey, guess what day it is."

Miles blinked. "Friday?"

"What? No!" laughed Connor. "It's my birthday!"

"Oh. Uh, I knew that."

"Sure you did," Connor said, moving his wheelchair back and forth.

Miles set his backpack on the floor and frantically searched its pockets. "Aha!" he said as he pulled out an envelope. He held it out to Connor. "Here you go, Connor. I hope you like it."

Connor took the envelope and examined it. It was thick and heavy, like a lot of stuff had been put in it. Was it money? He opened the envelope and pulled out what was inside: photos of different models of airplanes. Some were in color, some were in black and white.

"Like it?" Connor said. "I… I love it!"

Miles smiled ear to ear from that response. "Is the party still at your place?"

Connor stuffed the envelope in the sack behind his wheelchair. "Yep." He looked at Miles and saw that he was staring past him, at something else. He turned his wheelchair and saw what he was looking at.

It was another one of his best friends: Elise. She was a 16-year-old sophomore like Connor. She'd progressed further in womanhood more than most girls her age. She was immensely beautiful. She walked in Connor's direction in what seemed like slow motion. One of his favorite songs played in his head as she did:

 _Last night, I had a dream about you_ _  
_ _In this dream, I'm dancing right beside you_ _  
_ _And it looked like everyone was having fun,_ _  
_ _The kind of feeling I've waited so long_

 _Don't stop, come a little closer_ _  
_ _As we jam, the reason gets stronger_ _  
_ _There's nothing wrong with just a little bit of fun_ _  
_ _We were dancing all night long_

Connor and Elise held each other's stares as she opened her locker. She had bouncy, black-colored hair that split into wavy loops at the bottom. Her eyes were beautiful, with curve-shaped eyebrows and hazel irises. She finally smiled at Connor, and he smiled back.

"What time should I come over?" she asked him.

"I won't be home till 4:30 or 5:00, so maybe… 7:00?" Connor answered.

Elise pulled out a small purple binder and shut her locker. "See you then," she said in a half-giggle voice.

Connor turned away and walked with Miles down the hall.

"You invited _her?_ " Miles asked, nearly outraged. "I thought it was just gonna be me and you!"

Connor shrugged as he steadily pushed forward on his wheels. "Well, y'know, things happen. You're overreacting. It's always been the three of us, for as long as I can remember."

"No it hasn't. It's always been you and me or you and her."

"Then tonight it'll be the three of us."

"Yeah, well… something seems 'up' with you two."

"What?" Connor exclaimed, stopping in his tracks. He covered his mouth as he laughed hysterically. "You think… Oh, God… You think something's up between me and Elise? Hahahaha! That's pretty funny, Miles."

Miles was not amused. "I bet it's true."

"Dude, look at me!" Connor said, gesturing towards himself. "I'm a… a torso with arms and two little things sticking out the bottom! She's not into that stuff."

Connor and Miles got to class. They shared many of their classes together, and Connor never hesitated to joke about him and Elise or his body. Unlike Connor, Miles excelled in all of his classes, except Physical Education. After school, Connor stayed late to get help on homework. It was around 4:15 when he left.

He had to get home on foot—or, by wheelchair. Empire City was the largest city in the world. It competed with similar cities like Central City and Westopolis. However, Westopolis had been attacked by a scientist named Ivo Robotnik a few months ago, causing it to lose much of its status as a financial powerhouse. Westopolis was a dangerous city, Central City was an anodyne city, and Empire City was right in the middle. Crime was always somewhere, but the police of the ECPD put up a decent fight against it. Empire City was home to 12 million people, making it the most populous city in the U.S. Skyscrapers tore through clouds in the sky. Long highways sprawled throughout the city. The city was so immense, at times one would feel like it was _floating._

Connor sped through the sidewalk as fast as his wheelchair could go. He and his grandparents lived in a small house in a small neighborhood near the high school. When the front door came into view, he checked the time on his cell phone. 4:55. A little later than what he wanted, but he was okay with that. He rolled up the ramp leading to the front door and went inside. The house seemed empty, showing no sign up Grandpa Gene or Granny Wilma.

Connor parked his wheelchair into the corner of the living room and carefully hopped down. He waddled into the kitchen .He couldn't go as fast as a person with regular legs, but he was thankful that he could somewhat walk. He couldn't do it too long, or else his stumps would get tired. The kitchen was pitch-black, the darkness not letting him see a thing.

"Hello?" he called out quietly.

The light flashed on, revealing his grandparents, Miles, and Elise before him.

"Surprise!" they yelled cheerfully.

Connor couldn't hold back his smile. "Wow… What's the occasion?" he asked as he pulled a chair out from the table and hoisted himself up.

"Connor, it's your birthday!" Wilma, an old yet lively woman, told him. She went over to him and gave him a hug.

"Happy birthday, pal," said Gene, an equally old but not as lively man.

"Thanks, Grandpa," Connor wheezed, still trapped in his grandmother's tight squeeze. "I thought we weren't starting till 7."

"We wanted to surprise you," Wilma explained. "But we had to call Elise here to tell her the change of plan."

Connor heaved for breath when Wilma let go. "Well, it worked."

Gene set a big blue box in front of Connor on the table, then opened it, revealing a delicious-looking cake shaped like a chili dog. Connor wiggled his stumps in excitement. Candles were set out, and everyone sang the Happy Birthday song. He blew out the candles as they finished, then they all dug in. When they were done, Gene and Wilma left to give Connor, Miles, and Elise some privacy.

Connor was on his third piece. "This cake's the best," he said.

Miles was clenching his stomach. "Ohhh… I need to go to the bathroom… See ya!" He bolted out the kitchen, and a few seconds later they heard the bathroom door slam shut.

"So…" Connor began, turning his attention to Elise. "What's up with you?"

She looked at him and smiled. "I'm seeing someone now."

Connor's stomach lurched. "Wh…what?"

"You know Don Richards?"

"The quarterback?"

"Yeah. I'm dating him now."

"Like… a girlfriend?"

Elise nodded.

Connor looked at his cake and forced a smile. "Wow… That's… That's pretty cool, Elise."

Connor could feel her stare on him. "Are you talking to anyone?" she asked.

"No, not really…"

Elise's phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket answered it. "Hello? Hey, babe. Yeah? Uh-huh? No, I'm not doing anything."

Connor lowered his head in shame.

"Yeah? 'Kay, I'll be there in a sec." Elise put here phone back into her pocket. "That was Don. I gotta go, Connor."

Connor grabbed the rest of his cake and shoved it in his mouth. "That's fine," he said with his mouth full. He sat there as she walked out the kitchen and left the house. He grabbed his fork and stabbed his paper plate with it.

Miles came running in a second later. "My parents called. They want me home. See ya, Connor!" With that, he abandoned Connor just like Elise.

Connor hopped off the chair and waddled into the living room. Gene was sitting on the couch, fast asleep, while Wilma was knitting.

She looked up from her work and smiled sympathetically at Connor. "Everybody's gone, aren't they?"

Connor nodded and sighed heavily.

"You've growing up to be a great young man, Connor. Just… Just like… your father." She started to tear up. "If only he could be here with us, celebrating this day with you."

"I'm sure he is. He's out there somewhere, and he knows what today is."

Wilma turned her head away from him. "You should probably held to bed soon. It's late. You three were in there for quite awhile."

Connor shrugged and walked to his room. Sleep didn't sound so bad, actually.

 **If Elise being in this story reminds you of an infamous scene from** ** _Sonic '06_** **, I will promise you right now that there will be no hedgehog-on-human action in this story** ** _at all._** **That scene disturbed me as well. If Amy could be in this story instead, she would be, but she can't. So don't worry. The version of Elise I'm creating is much different from the Elise in** ** _Sonic '06_** **.**


	3. Gene and Wilma's Secret

_8 Years Earlier_

There was a knock on the door. Gene, Wilma, and Connor were in the living room, playing a board game on the coffee table. It had been a month since Jeff and Darla had left for Christmas Island, and Connor had turned eight during their trip. He was starting to adjust to his prolonged visit to his grandparents, but he still missed his mom and dad.

There was another knock on the door, this time more forceful. Gene put down his piece and went over to answer the door. When he opened it, a man dressed in a gray military commander's suit was standing at their doorstep. His posture was tall and upright, standing like he was important and he knew it. He had a yellow folder in his hand.

The man didn't say anything, so Gene spoke first. "Uh… Who are you?"

"I am the highest ranking commander of the Guardian Units of Nations," the man said with authority. "Or, if you prefer, G.U.N."

Gene looked around past the commander. "Er… I don't see an army behind you… Are we in trouble?"

The commander chuckled, but showed no sign of a smile. "Of course not, sir. Are you Eugene Ford?"

"Yes, but I go by 'Gene.'"

The commander gestured toward inside the house. "May I come in?"

Gene blinked, then snapped back to attention. "Oh! Of… of course!" He stepped to the side and let the man in.

The commander walked to the living room without waiting for Gene. He stared at Connor for a long time, then swiped his eyes over to Wilma.

Gene sat back down by Wilma. "This is my wife, and this is our grandson."

"I see," said the commander, who was pacing around the room. "I'm here to deliver some news—" He edged toward the kitchen—"in private."

Gene and Wilma immediately understood and got up to follow the commander to the kitchen. They sat on one side of the table while the commander sat on the other.

"I have some bad news. Jeff and Darla Ford are two archeologists who went to Christmas Island, correct?"

They nodded.

"A week ago two other archeologists found them and their team dead in the caves." The commander set his folder on the table and opened it, revealing photos of Jeff and Darla's dead bodies. "They were fished out of the water and brought outside."

Wilma turned away from the pictures and started crying on Gene's shoulders. Their son and daughter-in-law were dead…

"Can you put these photos away, please?" Gene wheezed.

"I apologize." The commander slid the photos back into the folder with a swift movement. "We don't know what killed them; the entrance to the cave is just a pile of rubble. The people who rescued them said that the cave sta-"

"We don't care," rasped Gene, who was on the verge of tears. "…Do you have anything else?"

The commander paused. "No."

"Then get the _hell_ out of this house."

The commander sighed and slowly stood up. "We'll keep in touch."

"No, we will not," said Gene.

The commander tucked the folder under his arm and, without another word, strode out the kitchen and out the house. He didn't even look at Connor as he walked by.

Gene pursed his lips together and wrapped his arms around his wife as he gently cried with her. He didn't want to know how Jeff and Darla died; it would be too much to bear…

"What are we going to tell Connor?" Wilma asked beneath her sobs.

Gene looked at Connor playing with the game pieces in the living room. Connor was only eight… He wouldn't be able to handle the grief and the despair. It was at that moment when Gene was faced with the most difficult decision on his life.

The old man grouped himself together and said, "Don't worry. I'll handle this." He left his wife crying in the kitchen and sat back down in his spot on the couch.

"Hey, Grandpa?" asked Connor.

"Yeah?"

"Who was that guy?"

"A friend," Gene told him. "He told us something that I think you should hear."

Connor looked at Gene with wide eyes and a smile on his face. "Yeah?" he asked excitedly.

"It's about your mom and dad…."

"Yeah?"

"Well, you're gonna have to wait a little while longer before they get home."

Connor's excitement disappeared. "Why?"

"Well… You know how they are. They have a lotta work to do, and…" He trailed off. He was actually _lying_ to his grandson.

"When are they gonna come back?"

Gene sighed. "I don't know. Nobody knows. All we know is that we're gonna have to wait."

Connor looked at the floor and began to pout.

"It'll be soon, though," Gene forced himself to say. "Just hang in there, pal."

Connor continued to pout. Gene patted his shoulder as he got up and went back to the kitchen.

* * *

Connor never forgot that day. He'd been waiting for eight years, and his parents _still_ hadn't shown up. Did they abandon him forever? Did they just not care? Or was it something else? Had something bad happened to them? Did they get into some sort of trouble? But Connor always wondered… what were they doing now? He never fully understood where they went and why. They were archeologists, weren't they? What could they be doing that took them _eight years?_ Hope started draining from Connor. He was certain that they were never coming back.

Connor climbed into bed. It had been a good day. It ended abruptly, but today still had been good. He was facing a homework-free weekend, and there was still a lot of cake left. He would cook a couple chili dogs for lunch tomorrow, and maybe he would hang out with Miles. Maybe Elise, too.

Connor thought about what Miles had said: _It's always been you and me or you and her._ Was that even true? Miles and Elise were his two best friends. But, Connor was starting to have feelings for Elise he never had before. Whenever he looked at her, he would feel his stomach clench up. Whenever they talked, he struggled, always trying to find something impressive to say. And she was dating the star quarterback of the football team… That infuriated him. He knew Don Richards was a cold, heartless, scheming, and insensitive douchebag. Connor felt like she was the one for him, but he knew he wasn't the one for her.


	4. Heartache and Pain

Connor woke up early the next morning. He looked at the clock. 8:00 am. He groaned and buried his head in his pillow. He hated waking up early because he could never get back to sleep. He rolled out of bed and went to his dresser and got some clean clothes then put them on. His room was messy, but organized. There was nothing lying on the carpet. A guitar sat in the corner. Pictures of him and his parents from when he was three sat on his drawers. He had legs back then, but lost them because of the accident. His bed was basically an air mattress. His grandparents insisted him to let them buy a real bed for him, but he refused. To him a bed was a bed. On top of his dresser was a glass cage with a paper shavings inside. That was where Connor kept his pet, Kermit, a white-bellied hedgehog. He got Kermit a year ago for his fifteenth birthday. Grandma Wilma hated the hedgehog the moment she laid eyes on him and always called him a "vermin." Connor took that name and turned it into "Kermit."

He waddled out of his room and made his way to the kitchen. Wilma was at the stove, while Gene sat at the table reading Empire City's newspaper, _The Empire Sun_.

"Morning, pal," Gene said without looking up from his paper.

"Morning, Grandpa," said Connor as he went over to the refrigerator and opened it.

"What are you doing?" asked Wilma.

"We got any chili dogs left?"

"Not for breakfast, young man. We have pancakes."

Connor closed the fridge and whined. "But I want a _chili dog!_ "

Gene was trying to keep in his laughter. "There's a cheerleading competition today. You gonna go and watch Elise?" he asked as Wilma set the pancakes on the table.

Connor hoisted himself up into his chair and said, "I don't know. I bet she doesn't really care if I'm there or not."

"Oh, yes she does," said Wilma. "You two have been friends since I don't know when. That girl is something special."

Connor just shrugged.

"Come on," said Gene. "That's girl's beautiful. And her dad's the mayor."

Connor grinned. "It sounds like you want me to marry her so you get all their money."

Gene shrugged. "That may be true. We could use a couple extra bucks."

"So are you going?" asked Wilma.

Connor poked his breakfast with his fork. "What time's it start?"

"Around 10."

Connor dropped his fork. It hit the table with a clang. "Then I need to go!"

"I thought you said you didn't want to!" Wilma called as he waddled out the kitchen.

 _Screw that,_ Connor thought. He was going to show Elise that he was better than some football jock. He got to his room and pulled Kermit out of his cage.

"You're my good luck charm today, little guy," he said. He put the small hedgehog in pocket and went to the living room. He got his wheelchair and pulled it outside. It was a beautiful day. The sky was unusually blue, as it was usually white-hued thanks to the smog. Once Connor got to the sidewalk, he got in his wheelchair rolled as fast as he could to the high school. It would take him hours to waddle there.

Back in the kitchen, Gene and Wilma looked at one another.

"That boy's so full of energy," Wilma said.

"Well, he's young. Remember when we were young?"

"Yes, I do. Do you… Do you think he's old enough?"

Gene furrowed his brow. "Old enough? For what?"

"You know… Old enough to hear the truth?"

Gene understood. "About Jeff and Darla." He thought for a moment. "I don't know. He seems to be doing fine without knowing."

"I've seen him when he's alone, Gene. He looks so… sad."

"A lot of teenagers get sad, Wilma. The feelings he's going through are normal."

"What about Elise? What about his parents? He needs someone."

"Don't worry. He already has us."

Wilma continued cleaning the stove. She looked up, wide-eyed. "Did he leave already?"

* * *

Connor pushed his wheels as fast as they could go. If he got there early, maybe he could see Elise before she performed. She was one of the best cheerleaders the school had ever seen. As a sophomore, she was cheer captain. A cheerleader dating a football player… It of course wasn't unheard of, but Connor felt like there was something wrong about it. He wondered how Don treated her. Did he treat her badly? Did she like it? Connor wanted nothing more than to put her before himself, shower her with love, and treat her kindly, but in today's society it was "pathetic" to do that. Nice guys finish last.

He was sure that he looked like an oddball, having no legs and being in a wheelchair careening down the sidewalk, but he didn't care. He made it to the high school. There was a ramp to the front doors, which he went up. He pressed the handicap button next to the door, making it open automatically. He got to the cafeteria, the first room in the school. The hallways leading to the classrooms were to the right, while the gym was to the left. He headed for the halls and began looking or Elise. The locker rooms were at the end of the hall. Connor wondered if she was in the girls' one.

 _Would it be creepy if I hung around here?_ he asked himself. Probably. He did a quick 360 on his wheelchair and got out of the halls as fast as possible, not wanting one of the cheerleaders to spot him.

Kermit stirred in his pocket. He pulled the hedgehog out and looked at him.

"What should I do, Kermit?" Connor asked him. "What should I say to her?"

Kermit wasn't paying any attention; he was busy scratching his face with a paw.

Connor shrugged and put the hedgehog pack in his pocket and made the opening wide enough for air to get through. People were already lining up to the gym. Connor got in line and used an activity pass to get in. He wheeled over to the side of the first row of the bleachers. A blue mat was already set up, and some of the cheerleading were already warming up. Connor looked around for Elise but couldn't find her.

 _I bet Don made her late,_ he thought smugly.

Connor waited and waited. More people filled the bleachers. More cheerleaders came out to stretch. Just when he thought she wasn't there, he saw Elise, but she came in from the other side of the gym. Not wanting to yell across the gymnasium, he looked at her, trying to catch her eye. He was a guy in a wheelchair! He wasn't that hard to ignore. She never looked back at him. She never even turned her body toward him.

 _Okay, I see how it is,_ he thought as he slouched in his wheelchair. Maybe she was playing a game with him. Maybe she was deliberately not looking at him. He started pretending to look around the gym. If Elise looked at him, he would be looking around instead of looking back.

The cheerleaders exited once the bleachers were jam-packed. Connor was surprised by how many people there were. Loud music suddenly blasted through the speakers, making him jump. The cheerleaders ran back out, and everyone started cheering and clapping their hands.

They began their routine. Connor couldn't count how many of them were being thrown into the air. All of them had on broad smiles, like they were _so_ happy to be there. Connor knew. He always plastered on the same smile himself. He knew what it was like to pretend to be happy. He found himself looking at their legs enviously. He watched one cheerleader do the splits in midair. He felt phantom pains in his stumps as he grew more and more jealous.

Elise was the star of the show. Her kicks were the highest. Her moves were the most fluid. She looked the happiest. She was the prettiest. Connor felt a lump growing in his throat as he watched her. He looked away at his stumps, feeling like he was going to cry.

The routine lasted nearly 45 minutes. The music stopped, and everyone stood up, cheering and yelling and applauding. The cheerleaders shook their pom-poms as they waved to members of the crowd. Elise was looking at Connor waving at him. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. But then he heard someone whooping loudly behind him, screaming, "Yeah! You fine, babe! You _fine!_ "

Connor looked back and felt his heart sink. Don Richards was two rows above him, cheering for Elise. He had his buddies around him, cheering on the girls _they_ were dating. Connor looked back at Elise and followed her line of sight. She hadn't been looking at him at all. She'd been looking at her boyfriend. Connor couldn't take it. He wheeled to the nearest exit.

Trying not to cry, Connor headed for the doors. His wheel rolled over someone's foot on the way out.

* * *

Connor sat at the storm drain of a sewer, with Kermit on his shoulder. He was watching the water flow through the gated hole that was the exit to the sewer.

"I want her so much," Connor said to Kermit, but it was more like talking to himself. "

Kermit began nibbling on his ear lobe. Connor winced in pain and pulled the hedgehog off his shoulder and put him on one of his stumps.

 _I'm not good enough for her,_ thought Connor. _I'm not good enough for anyone._

Just then, he saw something glowing go through the gated exit. It was hard to see in the water. It flowed to the edge of the storm drain where Connor sat. He looked at it curiosly.

"What is that?" he asked himself. He lay on his belly with his head over the edge. Kermit got on top of his back.

"If you bite my ear again I swear to God…" Connor said to the hedgehog, but didn't finish his sentence.

He was able to get a closer look at the object. It looked like it was a piece of something, but Connor couldn't tell what. He reached for it, wanting to grab it. He stretched his arm as far as it could go. He managed to brush his fingers on it. Suddenly, it flashed and dissolved into his hand. Connor brought his arm up quickly. His hand was glowing cyan now, and the glow was spreading up his arm…

Connor's eyes went wide. "What the hell is this?!"

He couldn't move his body. It felt like a weight was on his back, but the only that was on it was Kermit. The glowing overcame his both arms, then his head and face, then his back. Kermit started glowing too. Connor couldn't tell what was going on, but he started screaming. It was his only way of fighting back. Kermit lost all of his coloring feature and became a cyan-colored silhouette of light. A bright flash covered Connor eyes, and he lost consciousness.

* * *

Chaos was swimming through an ocean when a great pain surged through its body.

"The missing fragment of the Master Emerald has bonded," it said. " _I will extract it from its host's body._ "


	5. Waking Up

_Where am I?_

It was dark. The pitch-black sky of night loomed over him. He could hear the faint honking of cars. Connor sat up and looked around. He was on the rooftop of a building. The lights of the streets below shined over the edge of the roof. Connor lay there for a few moments before trying to move. Where was he? Where was his wheelchair? Where was Kermit?

The phantom pains in Connor's stumps were terrible. It felt like his legs were actually there. Connor looked in front of him and saw two flat, toeless feet attached to two long, twig-like legs. He looked at his hands. They were much bigger than usual and had longer fingers. He looked at his stomach and saw that it was oval-shaped and skinny. He felt his head, running his fingers through five thick spike.

 _Oh no…_ he thought.

No, it couldn't be! He was dreaming, he knew it! He tried pinching his arm, but his fingers were too big to do so. He grabbed his spikes and pulled on them. He screamed in pain.

 _I need to see my reflection,_ he thought. There was an equally tall building close to where he was. There was a ledge next to the windows. Windows… Windows would be perfect! He crawled over the side of the rooftop and looked over the side. It was a straight drop down. There was no place he could land and see his reflection. He didn't want the people below seeing him either. He would have to jump.

He looked at the building again. If could was truly like _him,_ he would make the jump. Connor took a deep breath and tried standing up. It had been years since he'd walked. His heart started pounding as he slowly straightened himself up. Joy started coursing through him. A broad smile had taken over his face. He was standing! Connor, an amputee, was standing!

He tried taking a step forward and fell flat on his face. It was obviously going to take time getting used to his legs, but he didn't care. He rolled over on his back, laughing. He stood up again. He tried taking another step and fell again. Nothing could bring him down. He stood up and took a step. This time he didn't fall. Connor let out another laugh and stepped with his other foot. His steps were more like an awkward march, but as he circled around the rooftop, his walk was becoming steadier and more natural. Soon he was walking in a full stride.

Connor went over to the far side of the rooftop. He looked at the building he was aiming for and focused. If he missed the jump, he wouldn't be too hurt, right? He hoped so. He would have to get a running start. Connor loved running before he lost his legs. Now he could do it again...

He puffed air through his mouth and started running. It was like it was in slow motion to him. Each of his strides were long and wide, like he was doing the splits. One leg would almost touch his nose, and the other almost touched the back of his head. This new body he was given… What did it look like?

Connor got to the rooftop's edge faster than he'd expected. He jumped off, thrusting his arms forward. Still feeling like he was going slow-mo, he sailed through the air. He looked down at the illuminated streets below and began to panic. He couldn't hold in his screams.

Below, a man was walking home from work when he heard yelling. He stopped and listened.

" _Ahhhhh! Ahhh ahhh ahhh! Oh God! Oh no! Ahhhhhhhh ahhh!_ "

"What in the sam hill?" the man asked himself.

Connor was now doing involuntarily somersaults as sailed. He crashed face-first into the pavement of the top of the building, sliding to the edge. Connor stood up and brushed himself off.

"That was awesome!" he said aloud. He took a very small jump off the roof and landed on a ledge near the middle of the building. He immediately turned and came face-to-face with his reflection.

"Oh my God…" he said. "I look like… Shadow The Hedgehog…"

It was true. However, Connor's new body was blue, and his spikes hung from the back of his head, unlike Shadow's, whose spikes hooked upwards. To think that he looked like the destroyer of Westopolis… He wondered if anyone could see him looking at the window. Thinking too much, he slipped off the ledge and felon the sidewalk below. People screamed at the sight of him. Their shrieks of terror hurt his ears. He grasped his head, trying to find a way to get out. The only way he could figure out was to run.

Connor took off with a big burst of speed. His legs—his _body_ —felt incredibly light. He ran down the sidewalks, going fast and faster effortlessly. He zoomed past an Empire Sun stand, blowing all the newspaper out into the street. Things around Connor were becoming blurry as he ran faster. Feeling confident, he hopped into the middle of the street where he had more room and less people. He smirked as he legs moved faster. He was approaching an intersection, he a semi truck came into his path. Think fast, Connor leapt upward, jumping higher than a building. He came to a tower and slid off the side of it, then wall-jumped off. He flew to the top of another building and landed there. He looked at his hands, still smiling.

"Thank you, Jesus!" he said in a happy high-pitched voice.

* * *

It was late when Connor got home. He'd gone back to the storm drain and found his wheelchair, but didn't find Kermit. A little hedgehog like him couldn't survive in a big city like Empire. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew Kermit would die soon. When he was a few blocks away from his house, Connor had transformed back into regular human form and got in his wheelchair, then rolled home. Gene and Wilma were waiting for him at the front door.

"Uh, him" he said sheepishly as he entered the door to the living room.

"Where have you been, young man?" said his grandmother sternly.

"Easy, honey," said Gene. "He's just a kid. Kids have fun."

Connor hated being called a kid. He had made it clear many times his disdain for that title. "I wasn't having fun. I wasn't doing anything. IU was just hanging around the city. You know I never do anything bad."

It was true. Connor always kept his head down and stayed out of trouble.

"I'm hungry," he said, rolling past them and heading to the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and found two hot dog franks on a plate wrapped in plastic. He took them out, tore off the plastic wrap, and put them in the microwave.

"What do you think he's been doing?" Wilma asked Gene quietly.

"Hell, I don't know. He does seem a little jittery."

"Smoking?"

"We would've smelled it on 'im."

"Drinking?"

"We would've smelled that, too."

Once the franks were done, Connor put them on buns, then heated up some chili.

"Did you see Elise after their performance?" Wilma asked, trying to spark up a conversation with Connor.

Connor fell silent for a moment, his back turned to them. "No," he finally said.

"Well, did you try?" asked Gene.

"No."

"Connor, f you want Elise, you have to _go after her._ "

Connor chuckled. "You think she'd just gonna leave her boyfriend and come to _me?_ "

"Don't be like that!" Wilma said. "You know damn well that _you_ are _better_ than some football player!"

"I'm not!" Connor shouted, turning toward them. "He was there today, right behind me, shouting and cheering at her. She didn't even look at me."

The chili was done heating up, so Connor took it out the microwave and put it on his hot dogs. "I'm sorry for yelling," he said, keeping his eyes on his chili dogs.

He felt Wilma touch his shoulder. "Listen. You're a great kid, Connor. If you think you're not good enough for Elise, then you can stop trying to get her. But you can't let that bring you down. You gotta keep getting back on the horse."

Connor looked up and saw that it had actually been Gene talking to him. "Thanks, Grandpa."

After Gene and Wilma left in silence, Connor proceeded to stuff his face.

* * *

Connor turned on the news the next morning. The reporter was standing on a street, near The Empire Sun newspaper stand. It was a cloudy day out, and it was getting cold.

"It was right here where it was found," said the reporter. "A strange being like Shadow The Hedgehog found its way here last night."

"Oh no…" Connor groaned silently.

The reporter continued by motioning towards the person standing next to him. "This woman saw it last night. Tell us what you saw."

"It was my size," said the witness. "It was real scary-looking. It did look like Shadow The Hedgehog. You know, skinny arms, skinny legs—and he was _real_ fast."

"How fast?" asked the reporter.

The woman shrugged. "Like… _sonic_ fast. He was just gone in a blink of an eye."

The camera panned back on the reporter, and a picture of Connor in his hedgehog form appeared. "It looks like Shadow, but it isn't. If you see it, you can contact our investigative reporters a-"

Connor turned off the TV. He rubbed his stumps as he wondered who'd taken that photo of him. People _hated_ Shadow. They feared him. They were afraid that he would swoop down and level a city, and hopefully it wouldn't be Empire City. But wait… People were afraid of Shadow because he was powerful, and because attacked the police force in a town in Florida. Would people be afraid of Connor if he showed up someplace.

He remembered what the girl said about him: _Like… SONIC fast._ He smiled at that. Sonic… Sonic The Hedgehog. It had a nice ring to it. If Sonic didn't scare people, would they hate _him?_

Connor got out his cell phone and called Miles.

"Hello?" said Miles' voice.

"Dude, get over here. I've got something to show you."

"Wha? What is it?"

"Just get over here, it's really cool." With that, Connor hung up.

He waited nearly thirty minutes for his friend to show up. Once Miles got through the front door, he asked. "Where is it?"

Connor smiled. "In my room."

Miles gave him a confused look. "Connor, what's going on?"

"You gotta promise that you won't tell anyone. And I mean _anyone._ "

"Okay. Fine. I promise."

"Great." Connor hopped off his wheelchair and waddled to his room, leading Miles there. Once they were in there, he got on top of his bed. "Ready?"

Miles looked around. "Uh… I don't really see anything important."

"Well, you're about to." Connor closed his eyes and focused. He mentally called forth the power inside him. He opened his eyes, and there was a blue flash of bright light.

"Wah!" screamed Miles.

When the light cleared, Connor was still standing there, but he was in his new body, Sonic.

Miles' eyes went wide as they lay on Sonic. "Wha… Wh-who are you?! What have you done with Connor?!"

"Relax, Miles," Sonic said. "It's me. Connor." He jumped down from his bed, doing a front-flip while doing so. "Whaddaya think, huh?"

Miles just stared. "So, you're still Connor?"

"I sure am."

"But… Why? How? What happened?"

"Long story short, I found a shard or something in some water, and when I touched it to pick it up… poof!"

Miles was regaining his composure, slowly. "But… you look like that one guy in Westopolis. Shadow!"

"Trust me, I'm very different from him. I'm not gonna hurt anyone, okay?"

"A…are you able to transform back?"

Sonic closed his eyes and focused again. There was another flash of light, and there sat Connor back in his human form.

"Have you told You-Know-Who yet?" asked Miles.

Connor was confused. "My grandparents?"

"No, no, I mean… Elise."

"Oh." Connor looked down at the floor. "No."

Miles' eyes brightened. "You told me before her? Awesome! Then that mean you trust _me_ more than h-"

"I trust you guys equally," Connor interrupted, raising his voice slightly.

"Well then, are you going to tell her?" asked Miles.

Connor looked back to the floor. "I'm not sure."

"Connor," said Miles. "You need to be careful with this new… _power_ you have. People will be afraid of you. They know you're free like the wind. They can't control you, or at least not yet, anyway, but they'll be afraid of you until they can. You gotta be cautious."


	6. Just Smile

It was 7 pm. Just a good night's sleep away from Monday morning, and a new day at school. Connor was lounging on his bed, pecking his fingers at the keyboard of his laptop computer. He was bored, learning about different types of sheet music for guitar. A lot of the songs were too easy for his level. He had just finished eating dinner with his grandparents, and he felt stuffed to the gills.

Connor sighed as he thought of what next to do. He could watch videos on YouTube or listen to music. He smiled as he came up with an idea; he Googled his name.

Connor Ford. The results he got were just a bunch of Twitter and Facebook accounts that shared his name. He decided to Google his parents: Jeff and Darla Ford.

He actually got something useful. A news article. It was off a website that archived every articles from very newspaper or magazine. He clicked on the link without a second thought.

The title of the article was "Archeologists Found Dead on Island." His mom and dad were archeologists…

He forced himself to read. It said, "Last week, five people were found dead on Christmas Island, a small island in the Atlantic Ocean. The bodies were identified as Harry Richardson, Maggie Richardson, Dmitri Putman, Jeffery Ford, and Darla Ford."

Connor stopped reading. He scrolled to the very bottom of the webpage, where the publish date was. It said December 18, 2005. He was eight when this was published.

Next he Googled Christmas Island. He found out that it was home to the Master Emerald, a giant gem that apparently had magical powers. He Googled the Master Emerald. He found a page that talked about the legend of its origin. It said that the Master Emerald dated back to the time that Earth was created, and how a hideous monster is said to guard. After that Connor found numerous articles on how the deaths of these people proved that the monster is real. He also found many reports on how the Master Emerald's powers could heal the sickly and cure diseases such as cancer. However, no one knew exactly where on the island the Emerald was, until eight years ago.

Connor Googled the Chaos Emeralds and saw many news articles on how Dr. Ivo Robotnik used them to power an airship fleet that would've destroyed Westopolis, but the main ship exploded mysteriously, and the rest of the ships lost power and crashed. Now no one knew where the Chaos Emerald were.

He went back to the article about the people who died at Christmas Island. He read the title over and over again. "Archeologists Found Dead on Island…" He remembered eight years ago, when his grandpa Gene told him that his parents would be gone just a little longer. Did he know that his mom and dad were dead? Did he _lie_ to him? Or was he simply misinformed? Was Gene lied to?

Connor held his face in his hands, trying not to cry.

* * *

He came to school the next day wanting to punch somebody. The news of his parents' death had riled him up. He wanted to let that anger out. The question was… who? He finally got his answer when the final bell rang. School was dismissed until tomorrow. Same as always. Connor hung around in the cafeteria after school to work on homework. He started hearing a girl screaming. Her voice… Connor knew that voice. He could also hear a boy yelling angrily. Connor backed out the table and headed for the source of the noises, leaving his things behind.

Entering the hallway, he saw Elise pinned against a locker by Don, her boyfriend. Taking no second thoughts, Connor wheeled further into the hallway, saying, "Hey!"

Don shot him a deadly glare. "Get outta here, punk."

Elise looked at Connor pleadingly. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Beating up on girls, Don?" asked Connor. "And _your_ girl!"

"She's just a little outta line. I'm setting her back in is all."

" _You're_ the one who's outta line!" said Connor. "What has she done?"

Don didn't answer and only stared at him.

"That's what I thought."

Don grinned maniacally. "You're askin' for it, Ford."

"And I shall receive," Connor said, hopping out of his wheelchair.

"Connor, don't!" screamed Elise.

Don let her go. "You're gonna get your ass kicked, just for her?"

Connor shook his head. "It's _your_ ass that's gonna get kicked, which I know is ironical," he said, gesturing toward his legs stumps.

Don stood there for a second, then shouted, "Alright, bring it, Ford!"

"Let's go, bitchnuts," said Connor as he waddled toward the football player. He towered over the amputee. Connor looked up at him and thought, _I'm an idiot._

He could tell Don saw the fear in him. He may have been a quarterback, but kicked Connor like a punter. Connor was kicked so hard that he literally flew out the hallway. Flying into the cafeteria, he landed on a table, slid off, and fell on the floor. He tried laughing it off, but Don had nailed him near the top area of his gut. Pain seared at his stomach, causing him to gasp for air. He saw Don's feet in front of him. He grabbed Connor by the shoulder and tossed him onto a table. Connor stood up on its surface and faced Don. He tried punching Don in the chest, but with no legs to give him leverage, it turned out to be a weak tap. Don smiled then threw a fist across Connor's jaw. Connor lost his balance and fell off the table.

"C'mon, Ford, get up!" Don taunted.

Connor struggled to get up then looked past Don. Elise was at the hall entrance, covering her mouth with her hand and crying silently. He looked at her, then at Don.

Putting his hands up, he said, "Alright. You win, Don."

Don cocked his head. "Not gonna be that easy." He charged up for another kick and rammed the tip of his shoe into one of Connor's stumps.

Connor screamed at the top of his lungs, but kept his mouth closed. He fell on his butt, clenching his stump in his hand.

"Freak," Don said. He then walked out of the school.

Elise ran to Connor's side and wrapped her arms around his chest, crying into his shoulder. "I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "I'm so sorry…"

He patted her forearm softly. "Hey, it's okay," he wheezed, still in a lot of pain. "Just smile."

Elise sniffed and calmed herself down. She brushed her hair out of her face and looked at Connor. "Are you hurt?"

Connor noticed that her arms were still around him. "Yeah, but I'll be fine," he said, rubbing his stump.

"Connor, did you really go through that… for me?"

He shrugged. "I couldn't just let him treat you like that. What was up with him anyway?"

Elise moved away slightly but was still seated close to him. "He… He was touching me weirdly. He was saying a lot of things that made me uncomfortable. So I slapped him."

Connor tried to keep in his laughter. "You did?"

"Yeah. Then he got mad and shoved me against the locker, and that's when you came."

"Just in time," he said. "Are things gonna be okay with you two?"

"That doesn't really matter right now. The question is, are _you_ going to be okay?"

"Meh, I'm not worried." Connor stood up on his good stump, then tried putting weight on his hurt stump. He winced in pain.

"Tell me how to help," said Elise.

"I really don't need anyt-"

"Connor," Elise said sternly. "You can't do everything by yourself."

"Sure I can."

Elise suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist. They were face-to-face. Elise brought him in closer and lifted him up. She began carrying him like a baby to his wheelchair. He was completely shocked by this. Usually he hated being picked up, but this was different somehow. Elise's hold on him made him feel… safe. His breathing became slow, and the pain in his body vanished. She looked at him with a warm gaze. He stared back mindlessly, never blinking once. He could see it. A spark.

The next thing he knew, he was gently put back onto his wheelchair.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" she asked.

Connor blinking, returning to reality. He cleared his throat. "Nope."

"A ride home? Anything?"

"Okay," she said, then turned to leave.

Connor watched as she walked out. The warm feeling in his chest was still there. He looked at his injured stump and though of the perfect way to get back at Don.


	7. Revenge

Don had to drive home in a snowstorm. Winter in Empire City was a pain in the ass. It would put the whole city on a standstill. Whenever it snowed, it snowed _hard._ People wouldn't make it to work, cars left outside would get buried, and school would get cancelled. You'd think that a city this big would handle snow a lot better…

But for now, it wasn't snowing too badly. It wasn't obstructing Don's vision, and the roads were only slightly slick.

It wasn't snowing too badly now, so surely it wouldn't pick up and get worse later, right? That was Don's thinking when he parked his car by the sidewalk in front of his house. The place he lived in was fairly large, with a two floors and a basement. He stepped out of his car and threw the strap of his backpack over his shoulder. Suddenly a huge gust of wind rushed into him. It made him take a few steps back. The gust wasn't too cold, but it was strong. It blew into him again. When he recovered from the knockback, he noticed his backpack was no longer on his back. Don looked around stupidly.

"The wind musta made me drop it," he muttered to himself. He focused his gaze on the street, which was only faintly covered in snow. He bent down and looked under his car. It wasn't there. He opened the door and looked inside. It wasn't there, either. He shrieked when he felt someone push him completely into the car with great force.

He struggled to roll himself upright in the passenger's seat. The door to the driver's seat as still open. He got out as fast as he could and looked around.

"Who the hell just did that?" he yelled, but received no answer. He only got the cold silence of winter.

Connor—in his Sonic form—looked on at Don from the wall of a house. He tried holding in his laughter as the football player started to freak out.

" _I know you're here!_ " Don was yelling. " _Come on out and try to mess with me in front of my face!_ "

 _Not a bad idea,_ thought Sonic. He looked at Don's backpack at his feet. He wondered what was in there…

" _Come on and give me my bag back!_ " continued yelling Don.

"Not if you don't ask _nicely,_ " said a voice with a taunting tone.

Don whirled around. Sonic was sitting on the roof over the porch, his legs dangling from the edge. Don's backpack was next to him.

Don looked at the anthropomorphic hedgehog with wide, fear-stricken eyes. "Who the… What the hell are you?!"

Sonic thought for a moment. "I'd say I'm your worst nightmare." His voice was confident and showed no sign of worry.

Don was almost speechless. "Wh… H… Wh… Y…"

With a smirk, Sonic opened the jock's backpack. "Whew! You've got a lot of textbooks in here."

"Wh… What are… you doing…?"

"Aw, nothin'," said Sonic. _This'll teach you pick on someone your own size,_ he thought. He pulled out a textbook and opened it, pretending to examine it. "History, huh? Not really _my_ favorite subject…"

"H-hey!" snapped Don. "Put that down! Get your gross hands off it!"

"Would it be better if I wore gloves? 'Cause I don't have any." He flipped to the middle of the book. "I don't think you need this. Really all you need to know is that we stole this country from the Indians, and McDonald's was established in 1940. That's it."

"Wh…what?"

Sonic flipped all the pages to one side and gripped them in his hand. He pulled for a second, then ripped the pages completely out the book's spine.

" _What the hell, man?!_ " Don roared.

Sonic let the pages fly freely out with the wind. Forgetting Don was there screaming at him, he looked at his hands in awe. _So, I'm… stronger in this form…_ he thought. _It'd be near impossible to rip over a thousand pages out of a textbook… But not for me._

He took another textbook out and held it in his hands. He could barely hear Don screaming bloody murder. He grabbed the stack of pages, and with one pull, he ripped them clean out of the book. This time, though, it was more about seeing his new strength and less about getting back at Don.

There was one final book in the backpack. Sonic ripped the pages out of that one, too. He looked back down at Don, who was on his hands and knees.

"Please…" he begged. "Please stop…" He looked up at Sonic with teary eyes. "You monster…"

Monster… That label stung Sonic. He continued watching Don, who was bawling his eyes out. Monster… He had never seen Don act like this before. It was almost sickening. No… It _was_ sickening. Don had always been cocky, arrogant, and superior. Now he was begging as if his life was one the line.

Did he think it was?

Sonic felt terrible. His selfish desires had gotten the best of him… All he'd planned to do was mess around with Don a little. Don had pummeled him back at the high school—in front of Elise, no less—and all he wanted was just a little payback. Now he had gone too far. He had wanted it to be a little personal, now it had gotten exceedingly personal.

Don kept on crying. His sobs sounded strange. They sounded like a baby's wail, but with a deep, adult pitch. Sonic wanted to say he was sorry, but he knew Don wouldn't listen. He sat there on the rooftop, just watching. He threw the empty backpack over the roof. It landed at Don's side. Without a word, he leaped away.

* * *

Sonic was running at a great speed. The cold wind felt good as it rushed through his skinny legs. He had to admit, though, running was a little painful. He wasn't wearing anything to protect his feet. He couldn't run too fast, or else his feet would get too hot from friction.

He came to a screeching halt in front of his house. He transformed back into his human self and waddled up the ramp leading to the front door. There was always some whiplash after transforming from a creature with a legs to a person with no legs.

His grandparents were waiting for him when he walked in.

"Where have you been?" Wilma demanded.

"I was, uh… hangin' out with Miles."

Gene chuckled. "See, honey?" he said to Wilma. "Told you he hadn't gotten into trouble."

"Well, then. Maybe he can explain where his wheelchair is." She glared at Connor.

Connor just stood there, shocked. He had a blank expression on his face.

"Well?" Wilma prompted.

His wheelchair… Where was his wheelchair? He'd left it somewhere, but… where?

He decided to wing it. "Sonic The Hedgehog took it from me."

"Who?"

"He's that tall blue guy that's been running around the city," Gene answered. "They call him Sonic. Don't know where he got 'The Hedgehog,' though."

"Yeah," said Connor. "I was just rolling my way home—like I do—and he just dropped outta nowhere and took it."

Wilma was bewildered. "So you just _walked_ all the way here?"

Connor nodded, then lifted one of his stumps, showing then the small wound. "I got this from the sidewalk," he lied.

"Get the first-aid kit," Wilma told Gene.

The old man sighed and strolled away casually.

Wilma knelt down and touched Connor's stump. He winced, not because it hurt, but because he hated it when other people touched it.

"It's freezing!" she said with an amused voice.

Connor subtly put it back down out of her reach. "Yep."

Gene returned with a big plastic box. "Here's the doctor's order," he announced.

After Wilma was done patching him up, Connor went to his room. He hopped onto his bed and booted up his laptop. He went to the Internet and pulled up the news article, "Archeologists Found Dead on Island." He didn't read it. He just stared at it. He stared at the two names that were among the list people who had died at Christmas Island: Jeffery Ford and Darla Ford. He could barely remember what they even looked like. All he could remember was that his dad was tall, while his mom was pretty. That's all that was left—general ideas. He couldn't remember their exact appearances.

Someone knocked on his door.

"Yeah?" Connor said, quickly exiting out the article.

Gene walked in.

"Hey, Grandpa."

"Hey," said Gene. He held up two pads. "Your grandmother wants you to wear these until we find your wheelchair."

Connor furrowed his brow. "Wait… You want to _walk_ around school wearing _those?_ "

"Aw, come on," said Gene. "It'll be fun! And it'll make you a couple inches taller."

Connor grinned and let out a laugh. He then returned his eyes to the computer screen.

"Listen, Connor…" said Gene. "I… need to tell you something."

This was it, Connor thought. He looked at his grandfather. "Yeah?"

Gene was rubbing his forehead. "Look, your grades are slipping. I need you to get them up, okay?"

Connor was expecting the Big Revelation. "Oh. Okay."

"And hey. If you do, I'll tell you how to get Elise."

"What? I do not want to get Elise."

"Fine, fine. Then I'll tell you how to get any girl you want."

"I'm pretty sure no girl wants to date a torso, Grandpa."

Gene was silent for a moment. Then he made his way into Connor's room, shutting the door behind him. "Connor, you are human, just like every other guy out there. I can tell you that there'll be a girl who'll realize that even if you are _just_ a torso, you're still human. You still have emotions and a personality and ambitions and opinions. But to me, your grandmother, and your friends, you're not _just_ a torso."

Connor thought for a moment, then looked at his stumps. One of them had a bandage on it.

"As humans, we all join together and make a bigger picture," said Gene. "That's what our chief would tell us, when I was in the force."

Connor smiled. That was one of the things he admired about his grandfather. In the past, Gene had been a police officer. But to Connor, he had been a hero.

Gene walked out of his room and came back. He had something in his hand.

"This is my badge," he said. His voice was quivery. "I… I want you to have it."

Connor looked at it. It said "E.C.P.D." at the top. "R-really?"

"Really," said Gene. He tossed it to Connor. "Keep it safe. And get those grades up!"

Connor cradled the badge in his hands as Gene walked out. He thought about his second form. As Sonic, could he be a hero just like his grandfather?


	8. General Serkins

Large snowflakes whirled past Sonic as he stood atop an immense skyscraper. The bright lights below illuminated the city night. Sonic adjusted the white gloves covering his hands. His feet were still bare, but were more durable than regular person's feet. He closed his eyes and spread his arms like a T, then jumped.

* * *

 _Earlier That Day_

School had not been cancelled; it'd only snowed three or four inches. Connor came to school wearing the pads on his stumps, and Gene had to give him a ride there, then _guide_ him to the front doors. When no one was looking, Connor transformed into Sonic and looked for his wheelchair. He found it undamaged on the roof of the school. He went back to his human form, taking off his pads and rolling around in his wheelchair. He saw Don, completely broken. It was as if his personality went 180 degrees. He was completely silent. No one talked to him. No one even approached him. Who would think? The conceited, arrogant quarterback of the football team becoming a lonely, depressed introvert…

"Why's he so sad?" Miles had asked.

"I don't know," said Connor.

"Did anything happen with him and Elise?"

Connor remembered how Don had treated her yesterday. "If it's that, then he deserved it," he forced himself to say.

Miles patted his shoulder. "Maybe now you can ask her out! But you'll still my friend, right?"

Connor chuckled. "No, Miles. I'm going to forget all about you. The memories, the friendship, the laughs, all gone."

"What?!"

"Dude, I'm kidding, I'm kidding!"

"You better be! I think girls actually can do that."

"Do what?"

"You know… _change_ their boyfriends."

Connor laughed loud, too loud, making the cafeteria go quiet. The bell signaling the start of the day rang, and Connor rolled into the hall, still laughing. It was funny, he thought, because he and Elise would never be together in that sort of way.

When the final bell rang and the day was over, Elise caught up with Connor.

"Hey!" she called out.

Connor came to a stop and flung his wheelchair around to face her. He smiled and asked, "What's up?"

"Don and I broke up at lunch."

Connor tried to act surprised. "Whaaat?" he said in a high-pitched squeal. "I mean… why?"

"Connor," she said, pointing to the bandages on his stump, "did you _see_ what he did to you?

Connor looked to the side. "Oh."

"Yeah. I couldn't stand watching him beat you up like that."

"Well, uh, I guess, uh… I kinda asked for it."

"No one would help me except you. Thank you."

"Uh, sure. Wait, wait, wait, wait… Are you sure that you're not being hard on him? Doesn't he deserve… a second chance?"

"Connor, _he kicked you!_ "

"Yeah, well, I called him bitchnuts! …In which he retaliated by kicking me! If I hadn't said that, then he wouldn't have kic-"

"Shhh," said Elise. "Connor, I… I'm mad."

"At who?"

"Myself. I… I was too blind to see the jerk he really is. That perfect smile of his… How tall he is… How _strong_ he is."

Connor was about to puke.

Elise continued. "I didn't want to see who he was on the inside, because he looked so perfect on the outside."

Connor nodded, soaking in her words. "So… What're you gonna do now?"

"I…I don't know. I'm just… worried."

"Don't be worried, Elise," Connor said. "Worry just slows you down. So, when you're worried… just run."

She gave him a puzzled look. "Run?"

"Yeah. Run."

She issued that cute giggle of hers. "You're a weird one, Connor," she said, ruffling his hair as she walked past.

* * *

But all of that had been a memory, and it felt great. Sonic dived headfirst at a swift speed toward the ground below. Once he felt he was low enough, he straightened his arms and legs, stretching them out, slowing his falling speed considerably. He landed on the street and blasted off.

His grandpa used to be a hero. Sonic wanted to be one, too. But when you live in a world where everyone is afraid of you, how?

Dawn was just breaking. Sonic ran through the middle of the street like a bullet.

 _I know what I'll do,_ he thought. _I'll just show everyone!_

The FBI was crawling all over Empire City. They questioned anyone who had caught a glimpse of the blue hedgehog. Uniformed men patrolled the city, tranquilizers in hand. They had been given the order to knock Sonic out if they ever saw him. Small posters showing Sonic's face were everywhere, with phone numbers below to call if anyone spotted him. Sonic did a small hop and slid on his heels, coming to a complete stop and picking up snow while doing so. He looked at a poster with feigned curiosity.

"I guess I'm famous!" he said to himself.

A tranq dart flew past his ear and hit the side of the poster. He looked back to see a uniformed FBI agent point a tranquilizing gun at him.

"I have clear visual of the rat," the agent said into the microphone on his shoulder. "Permission to fire?"

"Permission granted," the microphone said back.

The agent fired at Sonic, but he was quick and ran behind him. "I'm not a rat!" he exclaimed, kicking the agent behind the knee, making him fall. "I'm a hedgehog!" With that, Sonic threw a punch across the agent's head, knocking him unconscious. He adjusted the gloves on his hands and smirked confidently. He heard police sirens in the distance. Could it be crime? Or could it be reinforcement for the knocked out agent? Sonic looked at him and felt a sting in his chest. He grabbed him by his arms and dragged him to the sidewalk, where it would be safe. He looked to the distance and saw smoking looming over the rooftops. Was it a fire? Sonic sped off, excited to see.

When he got there, what he saw was both terrifying and amazing. An entire apartment complex was on fire! Four firetrucks were gathered in front of the building dosing the fire with a heavy stream of water. The snow around the building was completely gone. An ambulance and a police car were there as well. People screamed as they saw Sonic looking on with awe.

 _Are there people in there?_ he thought. _Can… Can I do anything?_

Sonic stared at the entrance to the blazing building and knew what he had to do. He adjusted his gloves once more, then leaped inside. His flight only lasted two or three seconds before he plowed into the window. His bare feet slid along the dusty floor as his momentum slowly disappeared.

"Anyone in here?" he hollered as loud as he could.

He immediately got his answer. Two or three people started screaming and yelling. A piece of burning debris fell right in front of Sonic. He froze and looked at it with wide eyes.

 _This was a good idea,_ he thought sarcastically.

He jumped over the fiery debris and started looking. As he followed the people's screams, he could tell that the apartment complex was really old. He could only imagine what the fire's source was. The screaming was getting quieter. Was he getting farther away from it?

"Hello?" he called out. The screams' volume remained the same, filling Sonic with dread.

He was only a floor up from where he started. Suddenly, the floor below him collapsed. He groaned in frustration after landing, realizing he was back where he started. The floor creaked, and collapsed, too. The screams were crystal clear as he plummeted to the story below. He in a small room that was being eaten away by the hellish inferno. He coughed out some smoke and looked round. He saw three small children huddled behind him in the middle of the room. Then he looked around for an exit. He finally spotted one, but it was blocked by a wall of flames. Sacrificing his body, Sonic tackled through the fire barricade, opening the exit.

"Hothothothothothothothothot!" he screamed.

He walked back into the room and picked up and carried the three children. They became calm and didn't freak out over Sonic.

"Let's get you outta here," he assured them.

Outside, firemen, police, and paramedics observed the scene. As far as they knew, no one was inside except Sonic. The fire had gotten too out of control, so there was no point in delaying the collapse of the complex. Just then, something burst through the wall a couple stories up. In front of the building landed Sonic with the three small children in his arms. Each kid has their own parents, which they ran to. They grown-ups cried as they hugged their kids. Sonic looked on, pleased.

One of the children turned to him. "Who are you?" they asked.

Sonic smiled. "I'm Soni-"

He was interrupted by a tranq dart hitting his chest. He just looked at it, shocked, but showing no reaction. He didn't even attempt to take it out. He looked at the small crowd of people watching him. Then, in what felt like slow motion, he fell to his back and lost the memory of what happened after that. All he could remember was the hazy image of uniformed men with tranquilizing guns surrounding him…

* * *

Sonic woke up with a start. His legs… He couldn't feel his legs! They cut them off! He tried picking up his arms, but it felt like there was something weighing a hundred tons lying on his wrists. His vision was blurry. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't hear anything.

 _Oh God,_ he thought. _They're gonna kill me!_

Sonic yelled weakly, like a monster that was hanging on to the last bits of life. Slowly beginning to regain his senses, he felt sweat and tears flowing down his face. He tried again to lift up his arms. No luck.

"Nooooo…!" he yelled. "You can't kill me…! You won't…! Gaaaahhh…!"

"Easy, kid," he heard a deep, manly voice say. "Just stop fighting and let the rest of your body wake up."

Sonic relaxed involuntarily, like his body had control over itself. He closed his eyes and focused on breathing. He started hearing a whooshing sound, as if he was flying through the air at an enormous speed. His eyes suddenly shot open as he felt the cloudiness and confusion leave his body. He was able to move his head. He saw that he was lying on a long table. His wrists were restricted by two steel cuffs. He looked over his chest and saw two stumps in place of his legs. So, he had gotten into his human form… Was it because of something they did?

A black man in a camouflage army uniform was sitting next to him.

"Who are you?" Connor asked.

"I'm General Serkins of the United States military," the man answered.

Connor looked around some more. They were in a cold, gray room with no windows, the only source of light coming from a bright lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. Connor looked at the general Sure enough, there was a pin of an eagle near his chest, and there was also a narrow, black tag that said "GEN. SERKINS" in gold letters.

"What am I doing here?" asked Connor. "What do you want with me?"

"You can't play dumb with me, son," said the general. "I know who—and what—you are."

Connor looked at General Serkins with an expression of fear and anger. What was going to happen to him? What was happening right now? Why didn't they just _kill_ him? He wanted to go home! He wanted to be with Grandpa Gene and Granny Wilma and Miles and Elise!

In a voice barely louder than a whisper, Connor said, "Let me go."

"Unfortunately, we have to discuss some things first," said the general. "Then you can go."

"You mean you're not gonna kill me or lock me up?" Connor blurted.

Serkins' seemingly emotionless face smiled. "You think I would have you killed or isolated, Connor? No, no, I would like to ask you a few questions about your… gift."

"You know who I am?"

The general nodded.

"You know what I can do?"

The general nodded again.

"…Does my family know I'm here?"

The general shook his head no.

"How long've I been out?"

"Two hours. We're still in Empire City, as a matter of fact."

"Dang." Connor looked at his restrained wrists.

General Serkins read his mind. "You want those cuffs off."

"That'd be nice."

He chuckled. "Well then, get yourself free. Show me what you can do."

"Huh?!" exclaimed Connor. He looked at the general in terror.

"Hey, don't worry. Trust in yourself. Trust in what you can do."

 _Trust in what I can do…_ thought Connor. Quickly he understood what the general meant. He closed his eyes and transformed into his Sonic form. His arms were skinnier now, but his hands were way too big for the cuffs. He looked at his arms in despair. As he desperately searched his mind for ideas, he remembered how easy it was for him when he tore Don Richards' textbooks apart. That's right, his physical strength was much better when he was Sonic!

The tall, blue hedgehog began pushing his right wrist upward. The cuff creaked as it slowly began to lose its hold. Then, it was ripped from the table. The same happened with the left cuff. They both flew to the other side of the room and clanged against the wall. Sonic sat up and smirked.

General Serkins gazed at Sonic in awe. His hanging mouth closed, and he cleared his throat. "Uhm… That's… amazing."

Sonic adjusted his gloves. "Yeah, it _is_ pretty cool."

"Connor, you're a double-amputee! But when your become this… this… this…"

"Sonic The Hedgehog?" Sonic finished.

"Yes! When you become Sonic The Hedgehog, you get two fully functioning legs! That's so coo-" The general stopped himself and cleared his throat again, regaining his composure. "I need to ask you about your, uh… second persona."

Sonic shrugged. "Shoot."

"How long have you had this ability?"

Sonic thought for a moment. "Not very long. Not long at all, really. I'd say about a couple weeks."

The general's eyebrows rose. "Oh? How did you get it?"

"Oh, God. I was sitting at the place where all the water drains in from the sewer, when a glowing piece of a crystal floated by and s-"

"Wait, what?" interrupted the general. "A _glowing_ piece of a _crystal?_ "

Sonic nodded simply. "Well… yeah."

"I…I don't understand."

"Well, I touched it, and when I did, my body glowed. I lost consciousness. When I came to, I was in this new body."

"Where did the crystal piece come from?" the general asked, nearly interrupting him again.

Sonic pondered over the question. "I think… it came from the Master Emerald." He looked at the general. "Ever heard of it?"

"Actually, I have. And I've seen it, too. Not in person, however. But there is a small chunk of it missing on its side."

"Huh."

"Did it do anything else when you touched it?" the general asked.

"Yeah. It turned into this vapor-like stuff and dissolved into me."

"The missing piece of the Emerald is _inside_ you?"

Sonic started panicking. "Is that bad?"

"Yes and no. Yes because it needs to back to the Emerald. No because it does give you your powers. Heh… Imagine if you had touched the whole thing."

"It would make me stronger? Faster? Better?"

"I don't even know."

"The Emerald's at Christmas Island, right?"

"The island's official name is Emerald Island. And yes, it is."

"Well, maybe I can go there and touch the Emerald in its entirety and see what kind of power I get!"

"Negative. Emerald Island's been erased off our maps. It's too dangerous for us to go there. If we did let you go there, it would be so you give the missing fragment _back_ to the Emerald."

Sonic sighed in dissatisfaction. "So, are you gonna let me go now?"

"Yes."

He didn't know what, but something compelled Sonic to look General Serkins in the eye and say innocently, "Why?"

"As Connor Ford, you have no record of misdeeds, you have no legs, and, in my opinion, you seem like a good kid. As Sonic The Hedgehog, you have no record of misdeeds, you freakin' saved a group of kids from a fire before we got you, and, in my opinion, you do not pose as a significant threat. But be warned. I'm keeping my eye on you. Not when you're Connor, but when you're Sonic. So be on your best behavior. You either use your power usefully or don't use it at all. If you slip up, I will find you and give you a warning. Slip up again and..."

Sonic waited for the general to finish.

"…Well, I suppose you don't want to find out."

"I understand," said Sonic.


	9. Seeing Things

"So, is this, like, goodbye?"

"No. Not really. Like I said, we've got our eye on you."

Connor—out of his Sonic form and sitting in his wheelchair—and General Serkins were standing in a damp alleyway, behind crumbly old buildings. The FBI was smart to hide Sonic there. The general stood in front of Connor, his face stern but proud.

"Is the military afraid of me?" Connor asked. "Do they think I'm… a threat?"

"Only a minor one," replied the general. An expression of compassion was beginning to seep through his face, but he quickly wadded up his lips and eyes, and his expression was back to serious. "Look, Connor. I'm not your friend. I'm not your pal or your buddy or your… uh, 'homie.' I'm like your parole officer, but except you're not a criminal. I'm your supervisor. If you screw up, I _will_ call you out on it. Screw up twice, and-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Connor interrupted. "You'll send Seal Team 6 out for me."

The general started talking again, but Connor saw something out of the corner of his eye. He saw two people—a man and a woman—standing on the other side of the alleyway. He whisked his head to the side to look at them directly, but they… were gone?

"Something the matter, Connor?" he heard the general say.

"Yeah. Did you see those two people over there?" He pointed to the end of the alley, where three buildings met.

"Er, no," the general said.

"What? Two people were there! A man and a woman! You didn't see them?"

"Nope. You might be seeing things, Connor."

"What?" Connor wheeled over to the spot the two people were. He looked around, but only saw a dumpster and three brick walls surrounding him. He cracked open the dumpster and peered inside. He only saw a bunch of black garbage bags filled with trash. He sat back in his wheelchair and rubbed his forehead with both hands while he thought.

 _Am I really seeing things? I could've sworn that those people were right here! They looked real…_

"Connor!" called the general. "Get back over here!"

The teen reluctantly turned his wheelchair to where Serkins was and rolled over to him. "I know something was there…" he whispered.

The general spoke up. "Do we have a deal? You're free as long as you behave yourself?"

"Yes."

The general nodded. "My work here is done, then." He started walking off, but then turned back to the teen. "Need a ride home?"

"I'll get myself home," Connor assured him. He waved at Serkins as he watched him turn around the corner and disappear.

 _I know what I saw,_ thought Connor. _And what I saw were… my parents!_

* * *

Connor had turned into Sonic when no one was looking, and was now leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Empire City had a district simply called the French District. There, buildings were structured to be no more than five stories tall and have long, flat rooftops. Sonic had affectionately nicknamed this district "Rooftop Run." His hops were becoming just what he needed: short, quick, and small. There were similar to that of a runner jumping over hurdles. Hopping let him jump over small gaps without losing any momentum. He hopped from roof to roof like a staircase, then jumped into the middle of the street. Slowing down considerably, he made a U-turn at an intersection and ran into an alley. He zoomed through alley after alley, precisely dodging walls or other obstacles by doing what he called the "quick step," where he could swiftly step to left or right without stopping, but he had to be running in one direction. He Quick Stepped into gaps between walls, and if there was a dumpster in his way, he simply used his polished hop technique to jump over it.

Sonic knew he was running nowhere near the speeds he was capable of. He got back onto the street and sped off. The surrounding whooshed past him in a blur of mixed color, but the path ahead of him was perfectly clear, although narrow. And through his path crossed a semi truck pulling a trailer. Sonic panicked. If he ran into the semi or the trailer, he would bust right through them. What if he sent them flying? How much force did he have at the speed he was going? He would get his first warning from General Serkins only an hour after they said goodbye!

 _Crap,_ Sonic thought, then made a quick judgment call, letting his instincts take over. He stopped running and slid along the street, his feet out in front of him. Sliding slowed him down, but not enough to make him stop. The trailer was in front of him now. He closed his eyes and slid under it. The semi blared its horn as he zipped underneath the trailer. Sonic slid a few more yards then stopped. He spread out his arms and looked up at the sky, flat on his back.

"Phew! Good call," he told himself.

* * *

"I don't understand why you want me to do this, Connor."

"C'mon, Miles! I wanna see how fast I can go."

Connor and Miles were standing on the track behind the school on a cold, bleak afternoon. Connor and his wheelchair were in the middle of the track, the white lines separating it into sections. Miles, however, was off to side, holding a stopwatch. "Uh, okay… Tell me what I'm doing again?"

"You're gonna time me. I'm gonna make one lap around the track, and you're gonna tell me how long it takes."

"How will you know when to stop?"

"Believe me, I'll know."

"Okay..."

Connor hopped down his wheelchair and stared down the track. He stood there a long time, waiting. He looked at Miles and said, "Well?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, sorry!" Miles fumbled with the stopwatch in his hands. "Do I tell you when to go?"

"Yep."

Miles positioned his thumb over the button. He looked at Connor with determination, like he was about to work harder than his friend. "Ready… Set… _Go!_ "

Connor almost instantly transformed into Sonic and surged forward at, to him, an extremely fast speed. Everything around him was blurry, but the path ahead of him was clear. Once his wheelchair was in view, he skidded to a halt and almost instantly turned back into Connor. He looked at Miles with a smile, very proud of himself. "Well?"

"Okay… Uh, three seconds!"

"What?!" Connor shrieked. "Are you sure? It should've been, like, _one_ second! Or _half_ a second! But _three?!_ "

"That's what it says."

"You did something wrong," Connor said accusingly.

"No I didn't. I pushed start right when I said go, and I pushed stop right before you sat back in your wheelchair."

"Nooo! No, no, no, no, no, no, nononononono _no!_ " wailed Connor.

Miles tried not to laugh at his little temper tantrum. "Why's your speed so important?"

"Because I'm _Sonic_ The Freakin' _Hedgehog!_ " Connor whined. "I need to be fast! I need to be faster! I need to be fast _est!_ "

"Connor, chill. Three seconds isn't bad at all. One lap around the track in that time? Usain Bolt couldn't do that!"

Connor sighed. "I guess you're right…"

He gazed down the track. He nearly jumped out of his seat when he saw a man and a woman just like the ones from the alley strolling down the track. He could barely make them out. The woman was pretty, and the man was slightly nerdy. His parents… It was his parents! They were alive after all! How did they know he was here? Connor was about to call out to them when Miles' voice rang into his ear.

"Hello? Connor? Con-con? Conny?"

Connor felt like he was just pulled out of a tornado. He only stared at Miles, trying to figure out how to recognize his best friend. He blinked and regrouped. "H-hey, Miles! Look!" He pointed to where his mom and dad were, but they were gone.

Miles was silent for a moment. "What am I supposed to be looking at here?" he asked.

"Weird…" Connor said. "They were there… I saw 'em!"

"Saw what? I wanna see! Is it a girl who will actually ask me out?"

Connor began rubbing his stumps. _They were there,_ he thought. _Where do they keep going?_

"If it's not a girl, I'm gonna go, then," he heard Miles say.

Tears were almost pouring out of Connor's eyes. "Fine. Go."

"Alright. See ya!" Miles was gone just as quickly as Connor's parents. Connor didn't watch him go. He just stayed there, in the middle of the track, during a cold, bleak afternoon, alone.


	10. The Truth Comes Out

Connor sat the dinner table, more jittery than ever. He would dart his eyes to certain spots of the table, as if something was there.

Well, to him, something was there.

He kept seeing his mom and dad at the table. Whenever he saw them, he would rub his eyes in disbelief, and when he would open them, his parents were gone. He started feeling paranoid. He started thinking his grandparents were conspiring against him, that they got someone to write that fake news article about his parents' death, that his mom and dad had been alive this whole time, that there was some special reason for their disappearance.

But what if they were dead? Was he seeing their ghosts? No, that couldn't be it… He didn't believe in ghosts. He wasn't being haunted. He wasn't being played. It was all in his head…

All in his head…

Or not?

Gene spoke up. "What's your problem, pal?"

Connor suddenly pointed in between his grandfather and Wilma. "There!" he shouted.

Gene and Wilma looked, then looked back at him, confused and slightly disturbed. "There… what?" Gene asked.

Connor's face was white, except for his cheeks which were dark red. " _There!_ " he shouted again.

They looked around the kitchen this time. "What do you see?" Wilma asked with a demanding tone. "Oh no… Is it another spider?"

"No!" Connor said. "They're right there! Right in between you two! Don't you see them?"

"See who?" asked Gene.

" _My mom and dad!_ "

Dead silence. A bad sound to hear at a kitchen table. No clanging of silverware against the plates. No sounds of chewing or swallowing. Just silence. Gene and Wilma looked at Connor for a long time, then looked at each other. Connor was breathing hard. It seemed his senses were coming back to him. The color was returning to his face.

His grandparents looked utterly destroyed. They looked defeated. The wrinkles on their faces were more noticeable than before. They looked… old.

"Connor…" said Wilma. "There's… something… you… need to know."

Connor shook his head. "I… I already know. Please… Please, just… don't."

Gene rubbed his face. "So, you know," he said underneath the palm of his hand.

It was silent for a moment more, then Connor slammed his fist onto the table, just like a hammer. "You lied to me…" he said quietly.

Now his grandparents' faces drained of color. They avoided looking at their grandson and kept their gazes on the food on their plates.

" _Why?!_ " Connor suddenly exploded. A dog outside started barking, probably from the volume of his scream. "Why! Did! You! _Lie to me!_ " he screamed, punching out each word. "When that strange guy stopped by a few years back… He was here to tell you they were dead, didn't he? You've kept that secret from me for _that long?_ You are the worst grandparents ever! All this time, a deep, dark secret! Whenever I'd ask, "Are Mom and Dad coming home now?', you'd be like, 'No, Connor, wait a bit longer'! You've been lying to me for _eight goddamn years!_ I… I…" He looked at his stumps and watched as a tear fell on one from his eye. "I hate you."

Gene and Wilma had been staring at their plates, absorbing their grandson's harsh words. They looked destroyed before, but now they looked annihilated. Wilma looked as if she was about to have a heart attack, as she struggled to keep upright in her seat. Gene was completely still, however.

With that, Connor scarfed down the rest of his chili dog and hopped off his chair. "I'm leaving," he announced. He waddled to the corner of the living room where his wheelchair was and hopped on. He made his way out of the house and made a left when he reached the sidewalk. He had had enough of his grandparents. What else had they lied to him about? They probably didn't even love him! He was just a _burden_ to them. A weight that they had to keep on their shoulders.

Back in the kitchen, Gene sighed and said, "I'll go get him."

Wilma was silent. She had stopped swaying in her chair but still looked sick. Gene got up from the table and gave his wife a kiss on the forehead before walking out the door.

Connor rolled down the sidewalk, mindlessly moving his wheelchair forward and completely caught up in his thoughts. A big question had crossed his mind: Did Miles and Elise know they his parents were dead, too? No, that wasn't possible. They had always agreed with him that his mom and dad were out there somewhere.

Connor had forgotten to put on a coat. It was a snowy night, with small flakes slowly descending to the earth. The ground was covered in a thin sheet of snow. It was cold, and his arms were bare.

He heard a voice behind him. Someone was calling his name. Connor looked and saw that it was Grandpa Gene.

"Leave me alone!" Connor wailed, then took off. Gene cursed under his breath and started chasing him. The snow was slowing down Connor's wheelchair, and Gene was used to chasing people running away from him, back when he was a cop—a hero. Connor didn't think of his grandpa as a hero now. Now, he thought he was a lying fiend.

Connor was crossing streets without looking. In the distance, he heard the sound of a bus chugging down the road. He didn't care if he got hit. It would be the perfect punishment for his grandparents lying to him. It wouldn't have happened if they had just told him the truth. But the bus went on to another street.

Gene kept yelling out Connor's name. The chase was still going strong, and neither of them were letting up. Connor crossed another street. While doing so, the bright headlights of the bus shown on him. He didn't know how far away the bus was, but he made it through without any problems.

The bus driver wasn't paying attention. He was going too fast for this type of weather. He saw Connor and pressed his foot on the brake. The driver began to panic as he felt the bus going with the same momentum. Thankfully, Connor made it through safely.

Gene had to get Connor. He had to explain why they kept their secret. He had to tell them more about this truth. There was something Connor needed to know… Gene had to get him…

The bus driver yelled as an old man entered his path. He repeatedly stomped his foot on the brake, desperately trying to stop the heavy vehicle.

Connor turned around. "Grandpa?"

Frozen from surprise, Gene stopped in his tracks. The driver had hit the brake, but he was going too fast, and there was snow on the street.

"Grandpa!"

The driver though fast and turned a little to the right.

Gene's body was clipped by the side of the bus. He fell onto the sidewalk, while the bus barreled through a fence, its horn blaring.

"Oh my god..." Connor whispered as he saw his grandpa's limp body lay awkwardly on the sidewalk. He was blind to the bus crashing into the fence. Everything around him seemed to go black, except for Gene.

Connor jumped off his wheelchair and waddled as fast as he could to his grandpa. Tears were flowing out his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. He grabbed Gene's hand.

"Grandpa! Grandpa… C'mon, Grandpa! Don't die!"

Gene groaned. "Tell Wilma…" he rasped. "Tell… Ouch…"

"You're gonna be fine, Grandpa," Connor said. "It's gonna be okay. I won't let… I won't let you die."

Gene mustered a laugh. "That's… why your… grandma and I loved… you. You… were always… so op…optimistic."

"Just… Just focus, Grandpa, okay? Just focus on staying alive."

"Connor, I'm… I'm s-s-s-"

"Grandpa, no. You can say it at the hospital. You'll be fine."

Gene stopped talking. He forced each breath in through his nose and out through his mouth. He was struggling to keep alive. It was almost like was _accepting_ death. Connor knew what he had to do. The truth was… Connor had a secret of his own.

He closed his eyes and willed himself to become Sonic. Sonic stared at his grandpa, who was looking up at him with wide, awestruck eyes.

"You're… you're…"

"Yep. I'm Sonic." He hoisted his Gene into his arms. "Sonic The Hedgehog."

They took off, leaving the scene of the bus crash. Sonic didn't see the police and ambulances coming down the street.

Sonic wished he could go faster, but with all this snow, he had to be careful. Still, he was running very fast. Desperation couldn't cloud him. His grandfather was dying, and he was to blame. He had to be fast enough. He had to save him. He didn't know where the hospital was.

Sonic was too caught up in his thoughts. His foot missed the ground. Instead of making contact with the sidewalk, it just sung above it like a pendulum. Sonic lost his balance. He stopped himself from rolling and fell flat on his stomach, right on top of Gene, and they slid along the street until they hit a wall. Gene lay lifeless in Sonic's arms. Sonic started breathing hard, freaking out inside. Gene looked up at him. Blood covered an entire half of his face.

"Connor…" he wheezed. "Be… a hero."

And just like that, Gene's eyes were distant and dull. Sonic pressed his fingers against his grandfather's neck. His pulse was gone. He was dead.

"No…" Sonic breathed. "No… Gr-Grandpa… Please…" He held Gene close to him, getting blood on his blue hair. "I'm so sorry, Grandpa… I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry… I'm…"

The area around him was silent. Not a sound was being made. Sonic just sat there, with his grandpa dead in his arms.

He didn't save him.

He wasn't fast enough.


	11. Love and Loss

"Eugene Ford was a friend of my mine. Oftentimes we'd be paired up as partners when we were police officers for the Empire City Police Department. To me, he was the best at what he did. He did things different from other cops. He was the good cop, the cop that understood everything. If our system was a playbook, then he knew from front to back. If there was one thing that made him stand out among other police offers, it was this: he never fired his gun. He never even pointed it at anyone. Yes, this almost got him killed a couple times, but I digress.

"People need to be more like Gene Ford, I think. He was one who would process the situation before jumping in and taking action. His judgment calls were flawless. He never spoke up if he didn't know what he was talking about—and believe me, he always knew what he was talking about. He was always cheerful. He was wise.

"Gene had to leave all that one very long week ago. We're here not to grieve in his passing, but to celebrate the wonderful life he lived. He lives on, in a place where things are better, where love is forever. Gene had a family. He was a brother, husband, father, and grandfather. We'll miss you, Gene. Watch over us, and help us keep your love alive."

No one applauded as the uniformed man finished his personal speech. It was all so sad. Connor looked at the speaker from the near front of the audience. The man, Gene's former partner when he was a cop, didn't look as old as he was. He was Japanese, and he reminded Connor of the actor George Takei, from _Star Trek_.

Connor felt like he was learning new things about his grandfather as the man spoke. It was feeling that almost made him sick. He had never known that his grandpa had never taken out his gun. That would be a risky thing to do as a cop. Connor didn't even know that Gene was a risky guy.

Elise lay her head on his shoulder as she clung to his arm and cried. She was wearing black. Everyone was. Her long, brown hair was neatly pulled over one side of her head, instead of both sides like she usually did. Her hair was straight and fluffy instead of wavy. She had on a tight, short dress, like she was about to head to a nightclub. Connor didn't care. She looked beautiful anyway. She always did. To him, Elise was one of those girls who looked nice no matter what she wore.

At the other side of him was his best friend, Miles. His red hair was slicked back, and he wore all black, too: button-down shirt, tie, pants, and shoes. While Elise was the noisy one, Miles was the quiet, solemn one. Connor looked at Elise and felt his heart sink as he saw her eye makeup trail down her cheeks with her tears. Connor always the sight of that. When he was much younger, he used to believe that when that happened, the eyes were actually _bleeding._

It was a beautiful day outside. It was one of those rare winter days where the temperature was above 50 degrees. The sky was blue and clear. There was little snow covering the brownish, crunchy grass.

The service at the church had gotten over, so everybody had moved to the cemetery. It was time for the big event. It was time for the final words before the burial.

Wilma was there, too. She was sitting by Miles, and was acting a lot like him. She was completely silent, and wasn't crying like Elise. Tears were flowing out of her eyes, but she made no sounds of sobbing. She looked like her mind was elsewhere, somewhere far off, somewhere far away.

Gene's casket was placed in front of the crowd so everyone could see. The sides of it were red, which was Gene's favorite color. Gorgeous flowers hung from its faces. Connor started feeling Elise's makeup-mixed tears seeping through his suit jacket. He rested his head atop of hers and waited for the funeral to be over.

Wilma wasn't fit to drive, so she got a ride home from Miles's family. Connor rode home with Elise. He sat in the passenger's seat and stared at Empire City—its skyline was towering over them, even though it was miles away—while Elise drove. She would sniff once in a while, but her makeup was starting to dry on her cheeks.

"Are you gonna be okay?" she asked in a gruff voice.

Connor looked at her. "You know what I said to him before he died?"

She was silent.

"I told him… I told him I hated him." Connor reached in his pocket and took out the badge Gene had given him. He ran his thumb across the "E.C.P.D." engraved on the top. How could he be such a total asshole? There had to be something noble on Gene's part for keeping the secret… Was it because he didn't want to bring pain on Connor? Was it because Connor had already lost two legs, and he wouldn't be able to lose two parents?

Then it hit Connor.

Gene and Wilma had been his parents all along. Or, at least, the closest thing _to_ parents. They had given him love and support far longer than eight years; they had been doing so _his entire life._ He never got to say thank you to his grandpa. He never really told him how much he appreciated him. His grandparents had already raised his dad, and they had been doing it all over again with _him._ Connor's "thank you" to that was leading Gene into a collision with a bus. God only knew what the bus driver was going through right now. Not only had they killed a man, they had severely damaged property.

* * *

"Have a good break! Happy holidays, and see you in three weeks!" said the principal's voice over the intercom. A few short seconds later, the final bell rang. School was out for holiday break. Connor scurried to get out of Francis Howard High before the rest of the kids. He wore a heavy winter coat over his hoodie.

 _Crud,_ he thought as he made it outside. _I have to get5 myself home. Again. This is starting to piss me off a little._

"Hey, Connor!" boomed a voice.

 _Now what? I gotta get home…_ Connor turned and saw Don Richards storming in his direction. Connor quickly turned back around and fled as fast as his wheelchair could take him.

Don was faster. He grabbed the two handles at the sides of the wheelchair. Connor almost flew off from the complete stop.

"Wh…what is it?" he asked trepidatiously.

Don stood in front of Connor, towering over him menacingly.

"I just wanna say… I'm sorry. About your grandpa."

Connor looked up at the football player. "H-huh?"

"I said I'm sorry about your grandpa. It's too bad what happened to him."

Connor was completely dumbfounded. "Uh… Okay. Um, thanks."

"You bet." With that, Don walked away.

"That was weird…" Connor said to himself.

He rolled forward a couple of feet before hearing someone else shout at him.

"Hey, Connor!"

Connor saw Elise in her car by the sidewalk. "Hey," he said softly, but loud enough for her to hear him.

There was an awkward silence, then Elise said, "Wanna hang out?"

Connor rolled closer to her so no one could hear them. "I don't know… My grandma's still really torn up. I don't think we can go to my hou-"

"Nononono, I mean do you wanna hang out at _my_ place?"

Connor's eyes lit up. Did she mean her big _mansion?_ "Uh, ye-yeah. That'd… that'd be okay." Connor made himself shut up; he knew he was being too forward.

"Do you think your grandma will be okay with it?"

"I'm pretty sure. I've been hanging out with Miles and coming home late almost every day after school, so…"

Elise parked the car and got out. After stuffing his wheelchair in the trunk, they drove to her house. Connor had not been in her home that much, but whenever he was, he loved it. Elise was the mayor's daughter. That expression alone would make Connor imagine Elise and her dad swimming in a big pool of money. Her house was only two floors tall, but the height of it didn't matter. It was the _width_ that made the home so big. Connor would always wonder if Elise's house was as big as the White House. The exterior was completely white. The roof was flat, except for where the main entrance was, where it pointed to the sky. It was already getting dark out.

"I'll get the wheelchair," Elise said.

"Don't," said Connor. "Could… Could you carry me?"

"I thought you didn't like being carried, Connor Ford," she said in amusement.

"Yeah, but… not when you do it."

Elise giggled silently as she opened the door and got out. Soon she was at Connor's side of the car. She opened the door and picked him up like a baby.

"Dear God, you're heavy!" she blurted. "I… I mean-"

"Nonono, it's okay. I get it. You'd think I'd be as light as a cat, but I'm not. Your legs make up 40 percent of your body weight and the doctors said that if I did have my legs I'd be-"

Elise put her pointer finger to his lips, silencing him. "Let's get inside. It's cold."

With her arms wrapped securely around him—one around his torso and the other supporting him by his rear—Elise walked to the front door and went inside. The living room was only slightly bigger than the one in Connor's house. Fancy, expensive furniture were set in front of the wall, where a big flat-screen television hung. A grand piano was placed near the corner of the wall on the other side of the room.

Elise's father, the mayor, seemed to appear out of nowhere. He was a large man, towering over Elise, and making Connor feel like an ant. He sported a full beard and had a head of nicely groomed hair. He was wearing a white button-down shirt with a red tie.

"Ah, hello, Elise," said the mayor. "And hello to you too, Connor." He bowed toward Connor and smiled upon him.

"Hello, Mr. Elise's Father," said the teen.

A deep chuckle rumbled from the mayor's throat. "Never lose your sense of humor, Connor. That is one of your most admirable traits."

Elise rested her chin on top of Connor's head. "He's sweet, too."

The mayor stood there for a moment, beaming at both of them, when he suddenly jumped. "Oh! Connor! I'm so _deeply_ sorry for your loss. Your grandfather was a great man. He and I used to be quite good friends."

"Thank you, sir," said Connor, losing a little of the cheerfulness in his voice.

"Are you staying for dinner?" asked the mayor.

* * *

"The people of Empire have sent letters, e-mails, and phone calls demanding that I address the city on my position of handling Sonic The Hedgehog," the mayor told Connor as he sliced his steak with his knife.

Connor however was struggling to cut his steak and had to have Elise help him. "Oh yeah? What're you gonna do?"

"Tomorrow morning, I'm holding a press conference."

"What're you going to say?" asked Elise as she sliced into the steak almost as effortlessly as her father.

"I'm going to fully endorse him."

Connor, obviously, was completely filled with joy as he heard this. But he was able to suppress most of his happiness and ask, "Why?"

"Because, as far as I can see, he's done nothing wrong."

"But Dad," Elise said, "Sonic's a… a… a… I don't know what he is, but has he done _anything good_ that makes him deserve it?"

"Well… No. Wait!" The mayor snapped his fingers. "He saved those children from the burning building!"

"Uh-huh…" said Elise. "Anything else?"

"Well… No."

Connor spoke up. "I think Sonic deserves it. He gave me back my wheelchair."

"After he _stole_ it!" snapped Elise.

"He explained to me that it was a misunderstanding. He said he found it empty and was returning it to the hospital."

The mayor snapped his fingers again. "See? He saw the wheelchair and thought of a sickly person that might need it!" his sentence stopped suddenly, and he held a long, awkward stare with Connor.

"Er, no offense, Connor," said the mayor.

"None taken. I think Sonic's a hero."

"I think he's some crazy lab experiment that needs to be captured," Elise muttered. "Maybe if he did more heroic things…"

More heroic things… The words rolled around in Connor's brain. Elise was somewhat right. Connor hadn't done too many good things as Sonic, but he knew that after the mayor's endorsement, he would show Empire City that he was a hedgehog to be trusted.


	12. Memories—Sweet and Sour

Connor and Elise were sitting on the couch watching a movie on the big flat-screen TV. Elise had Connor in her lap, with her arms draped over his shoulders. They were both covered by a large, soft blanket. The volume of the movie was quiet. Connor could tell that Elise was more interested in him than what was going on on the screen.

He felt her arms lift off him, then felt her fingers stroking his hair and massaging his temples. He did his best to stay as still as possible, like he didn't know what was going on. He had never been touched like this by anyone, and strangely, it kind of felt good. He involuntarily leaned into her and relaxed. Her legs came up around his waist and held him securely in place. Her hands left his head and ventured up his sleeves. She began tracing her fingertips along his arms, making goosebumps pop out of his skin. She had her chin resting on top of his head. Connor thought he was going to melt.

Then Elise left his arms and went to his stumps. This was where Connor began to get nervous. No one except him could touch him there; he hated it when other people touched his stumps. He braced himself for the nigh unbearable sensation his stumps would get whenever foreign hands touched them.

But the sensation never came.

It was like Elise's hands and Connor's stumps were puzzle pieces. They fit together perfectly. It felt like he was rubbing his stumps, but it was Elise's hands. They had understanding and comfort in their touch. There was comfort, and there was love.

"Don't stop," he said subconsciously.

He felt Elise press her lips against his scalp. She wrapped her arms around his chest, abandoning his stumps, and held him as close as she could.

"You're so cuddly," she said. "Like a teddy bear."

"A teddy bear?" he said.

"Yeah. A teddy bear."

Connor knew she was kidding. He snuggled closer to Elise and sighed in bliss.

The mayor, Elise's father, had gone to bed. A peaceful night loomed outside. It was just Connor and Elise.

"Remember when we first met?" Elise asked.

"Mmm-hmmm," Connor said contently.

There was a brief silence. The two just lay there, happy to be with one another.

"Connor?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you lose your legs?"

The question surprised Connor. She asked it so nonchalantly, so casually, like she asked it all the time. He realized that he had told Miles how he lost them, but he never did tell Elise.

"Okay," he said. "I'll tell ya."

* * *

 _11 Years Earlier_

Darla sat on the sand, watching her son ran happily along the beach. He had always been a runner, right after he was able to walk. Jeff sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Look at him," she said in a dazed voice, like she was in a trance. "Connor's first time at the beach…"

"And it looks like he loves it, too," said Jeff.

Darla put her head on his shoulder. "Just looking at him by the water, it reminds me of the island."

They watched as Connor began wading into the water.

"Don't go too far!" Jeff called.

They heard his distant voice say, "Okay!"

It wasn't a sunny day. Gray clouds completely covered the sky, and the sun was hidden. A cool breeze occasionally rushed against their bodies.

"It should be like this all the time," said Darla. "Just you and me and Connor. No job, no responsibilities, no going away all the time…"

Jeff didn't say anything. He was busy watching seagulls fly past or Connor frolicking in the water. "It can't be like this _all_ the time," he finally did say.

"Why not?"

He looked at Darla. "You of all people should know."

She coldly looked into his eyes. "I _do_ know, but it shouldn't stop us from being _parents_ to our _son._ "

Jeff shrugged with his free shoulder. "But it might. This is a very big secret we're holding back from him."

"We'll wait for when he can understand, when he's older. Then we'll tell him that I'm-"

A bloodcurdling scream from Connor stopped her sentence cold. A feeling washed over. It was a feeling all mothers would get. It was a feeling of dread.

Jeff immediately shot up and bolted toward Connor. Darla looked and saw pink water splashing far from the shore. From the turmoil she could make out Connor's form in the distance. His arms were flailing wildly. They quickly stopped and spread out on each side of his body. Darla got up to follow Jeff, but stopped in her tracks as she spotted the dorsal fin of a shark near her son. Connor floated there, unconscious. The water around him had turned red with blood. Slowly he drifted to the shore. Jeff jumped in and hoisted up his son.

"Connor! Connor! _Connor!_ " he was screaming.

Darla stood there, her hands covering her gaping mouth. She took a deep breath and put her hands down.

"I know what to do," she told her husband.

Connor woke up in a hospital bed. He had a terrible feeling in his legs. It felt like they were there, but at the same time, it didn't feel like they were there at all. And it hurt, too. The pain was very extreme. A squeaky wail escaped from Connor. He didn't want to scream so loud, but he couldn't control himself. He cried and cried like a baby. Multiple nurses rushed in to help him. He cried for his mom. He cried for his dad. And they were there, right at his side, but he was in too much pain to see them. He yelled, "Mommy! Daddy! Mommy! Daddy!" for what seemed like hours. The4 nurses were able to put him to sleep, then they gave him medicine for the pain.

Soon Jeff was the only one with him. No one else was around. Connor lay in his bed, peacefully asleep. Very carefully, Jeff peeked under the bedcovers.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

Connor's legs had been reduced to two short stumps. Both were covered in thick layers of bandages. Jeff had no intention of seeing what was underneath _that._

When Connor woke up, he heard a voice chirp, "Hi."

He looked around, taking in the sights of wherever he was. He was in a large room full of many other people in beds just like him. Some of them were elderly, some were as young as him. Most were resting peacefully. Connor noticed how weird he felt. He had control over his body, but he didn't feel like he was in it. He felt… woozy.

"Hi," the voice chirped again. It was a girl's voice.

Connor looked to his left and saw the most beautiful girl ever. She looked just as old has him. She had long brown hair and hazel-colored eyes. She was laying on her stomach. Her back was bare, and it had large burn marks on it.

Hi," she said yet again. "My name's Elise."

Connor blinked. "Uhhh… I'm… I'm…" Who was he again? The wooziness was getting to him. He was… He was… "Uhhh… Connor. My n-n-name's Connor."

Her lips formed into a perfect smile. "Hi, Connor."

* * *

The memory went white, then faded. Connor wa gingerly touching the burn marks on Elise's back. Since the eleven-year timespan, her wounds had healed but had not completely faded. They looked like giant purple bruises. No one knew Elise had these on her back. No one except Connor.

Elise pulled her shirt back down. She pulled Connor into another embrace, and they cuddled on the couch.

"We both lost something important that day," she told him. "And every day, I pray and ask that we can have them all back."

Connor wrapped his arms around her lower back. "I don't want my legs back," he said.

"But I want _my mom_ back!" she said, trying her best to conceal her tears. "And the worst thing is… I don't even remember that much about her." She sniffed. "No one knows how I feel except you."

Connor didn't say anything. He didn't want to say anything. Whatever he'd say would make her feel worse.

The two of them stayed there for a long time. Elise had stopped crying and was now half-asleep along with Connor. He looked at the clock on his cell phone. 9:50. It was late.

"I think I should get home," he told Elise carefully.

"Okay," she whispered.

Connor was able to have a small conversation with her as she drove him home. After pulling up in front of his house she ushered him to the front door, then went back to the car and got out his wheelchair.

She bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I'll see you soon, okay, Con?" she said.

Connor's cheeks were dark red. "O…okay," he blubbered.

Elise ruffled his hair and went back to her car, driving away.

A broad smile was on Connor's face. _She called me Con,_ he thought. He opened the front door and went inside. He waddled to the kitchen, and instantly his smile disappeared. Grandma Wilma was at the table, fast asleep. A plate with her dinner sat in front of her, almost untouched. He sighed as he grabbed it and put into a plastic container for her to eat later. He opened the refrigerator and put it away, moving other more food-filled containers to make room for it. He jumped as she let out a loud snore. He climbed onto the table and kissed her forehead. Her skin was pale, and dark circles surrounded her eyes. He scooted a chair next to her and fell asleep at her side.


	13. Things Get Chaotic

The mayor of Empire City stood in front of his citizens at the podium. Flashes from cameras were everywhere. The press conference was outside, and a light breeze was passing through. Behind the mayor was a poster with Sonic's face on it, with the words, "Sonic The Hedgehog—Friend or Foe?" in big red letters.

"People of Empire!" boomed the mayor's voice. It reverberated throughout the area and beyond. "Today we will be discussing a matter that a lot of you have requested to be addressed. Sonic The Hedgehog. Is just a creature looking for a home? Or is he a destructive criminal, like Shadow The Hedgehog? I am just going to say it. Sonic… is friend, _not_ foe."

There were many gasps and murmurs in the crowd, but only for a brief seconds. Then everyone started flashing their cameras and firing questions at the mayor. Elise was in the first row watching. She had always been intrigued by her father's work.

"Calm down. Please," he said. "I have reasoning. I have a basis. I have _proof._ Just settle down."

The crowd quieted down, but the a woman's shriek was heard. Everyone looked in the same direction and watched in awe as a small missile hit a looming building.

* * *

 _Earlier_

"Let's try this again," said Miles.

"Aw, come on, buddy," said Sonic. "This is starting to get _boring._ "

"Hey. This'll take time, okay? But it will make you faster."

Sonic crossed his arms. "Hmmm, I know what would me faster!" he snidely. "How about—oh, I don't know— _shoes?!_ "

He and Miles were standing on top of a building at Rooftop Run. They could hear the mayor speaking at the press conference.

"Connor, we've tried shoes. All that we've discovered is that they burst into flame whenever you put them on and run."

"Well, let's just get shoes that are resistant to… to… Uhhh…"

"Friction," Miles finished.

"Yeah, that."

Miles chuckled. "We can't just _get_ those type of shoes. They'd have to be specially made. And I bet they'd be expensive."

Sonic looked off into the distance. "Yeah… I guess you're right."

"Okay. Let's try this again. Remember, think _fast._ "

"I don't see how thinking fast will make me move fast."

"Your decision making will be faster, you won't run into things, you'll be able to dodge things in combat, you'll be able t-"

"Dude, I'm not the Flash."

"But with you are? Anyway, that's not all. If you can learn to think fast, you might be able to sense when someone's about to hit you. _Or_ you might be able to move so fast you'll feel as if _you've stopped time._ "

"Woopdee-freakin'-doo," said Sonic.

"Please, Connor. I just want to see what happens if we train your brain to think quickly. It will probably benefit your everyday life, at least."

Sonic sighed. "Fine."

"Okay. Here we go. What's two plus two?"

"…Four."

"What's two times two?"

"Four."

"What's twelve times twelve?"

"Uhhh… 124?"

"Nope."

" _Dammit!_ I'm telling ya, this is pointless!"

The rooftop shook slightly. Sonic and Miles looked and saw a small explosion erupt from the side of a building that was only a few blocks away.

"Oh my God," Miles said breathlessly.

"I'll go take a look," Sonic said.

He leapt off the rooftop and dashed to the scene. The blast had had a massive radius, as huge chunks of the hit building's exterior were crashing into the area below. The press conference crowd all screamed in fear and ran every which way to avoid the falling slabs. The building's exterior had been built from solid stone. Being in the path of the tumbling rocks would certainly result in serious injury—best case—or death—worst case. The debris was generous, though, and didn't hit anybody.

Sonic got there just in time. People were running around aimlessly, as if they were being chased by monsters. Large chunks of the stone exterior were everywhere—on the street, on the sidewalk, smashed into cars. Sonic could already hear the sirens of ambulances and fire trucks.

" _There's another one!_ " someone shrieked.

Sonic looked up and saw another missile blow up another part of the side of the same building. The building was so tall… Sonic hoped that it wasn't too important. And worse, people were probably dying in there.

The debris was falling fast. Sonic had to think. He stood there trying to formulate a plan. These people were too stupid to run as far away as possible.

 _Dammit!_ Sonic thought. The debris was already close. He saw a journalist staring at a chunk of stone falling right above him. Without thinking, Sonic ran to the person and tackled him out of the way. The slab of exterior crashed right beside them with a loud _bshhh._

Sonic helped the man up then saved a female journalist by leaping up and shattering the chunk of stone with one punch. She watched in amazement as he landed next to her. He heard her say something as he took off and saved another person. He didn't know what she said, and he was too busy to care. The area around him was suddenly dark, as if a small cloud had formed in front of the sun. He looked up and noticed the building was in fact tilting at a slight angle, blocking the sun. It almost looked like… like _it was falling over!_

The building split in two, sending a cloud of dust from all four of its sides where it split. Sonic watched in awe. People were trapped in that building…

"Help! _Help!_ " he heard a girl's voice cry. He look to his right and saw Elise trapped under a flattened car. He dashed over to her and threw the car off of her. Her legs looked awkward… Were they broken?

He lifted her in his arms and said, "Don't worry. My name's Connic. Er, I mean _Sonic._ But you can call me your savior."

Elise wasn't listening. She was pointing at a large pile of debris. "Please… My dad's in there…! Please help him!"

He dropped her off away from the falling building path, then went back for the mayor. He rummaged through the pile of debris as fast as he could. Finally he saw part of the mayor's suit. He threw off more debris and found Elise's father. Elise looked fine compared to the mayor, whose legs were twisted behind repair.

Sonic and the mayor looked at each other for what felt like minutes. The look the mayor gave Sonic was a max of amazement, fear, and gratitude.

"Elise…" the mayor mumbled.

Sonic picked him up the way he did with Elise. "She's okay," he said. "I'll show you."

Carrying the mayor in one arm, Sonic ran toward Elise and grabbed her with the other. A plume of dust and glass rose behind them as Sonic ran them away from the destruction as far as possible. The mayor looked as if he was struggling to stay alive. He the wooing of sirens down the street. He set the mayor next to Elise and said to her, "He's gonna be okay. Just… Just… stay here."

Elise's father started mumbling. "Th…thank… you… Sonic. Thank you…"

Sonic looked at the destruction and soaked it in. The area looked completely different now. The street could barely be seen. Not only had that one building been destroyed, but that the ones that had been in its path when it fell were gone, too.

"What're you going to do?" he heard Elise ask.

He turned to her. "I'm gonna find the bastard that did this." He curled up his legs and bounded to the rooftop of a building several blocks away. He looked around the cityscape, hopelessly looking for any trace of a missile. A trail—a fire—anything. But he saw nothing. He put his hands on his hips and held in his tears. Whoever did this was out there, somewhere. If they had been able to do this once, then they would be able to do it again. He asked himself, how would he prepare for another attack? He had just let people die. Innocent people. People who had families and breathed oxygen just like him. And he didn't know how he would've saved him. Was there a point to being a hero when there was so much collateral damage?

* * *

 _Later_

Connor wheeled into the hospital room with a bouquet of flowers sitting on his lap. The mayor lay on his bed, looking a lot better than he did in the destruction zone. Elise was sitting on a chair next to the bed, also looking better, but distraught. When Connor came into the room, she immediately leapt out of her chair and gave him a big hug, sobbing into his shoulder.

"I-I tried calling you," she said, "but you never _answered!_ "

"I…I, uh, was… busy?" he tried to explain. "I… I got these flowers-"

Elise got off of him and hugged the flowers close to her. "You got these for me?"

"Uh… S-sort of. They're really for your dad, but-"

Elise's father's raspy voice spoke. "It's alright, Elise. You can—egh!—keep them."

Elise sat back down in her chair and stared at her motionless dad. "Thanks, Daddy."

"What happened?" Connor asked, almost a little too forward.

"I was attacked," the mayor said. "Someone tried to kill me! I was in _the middle of my speech_ —ack!—when someone brought down half a building on the—kaff!—press conference. But Sonic The Hedgehog was there… He saved me—kaff!—and Elise."

"Then he _ran away,_ " Elise added.

"He had done his job, Elise," said the mayor. "Th…the paramedics took care of the rest."

"Wait, wait, wait," said Connor. "Sonic was actually _there?_ In daylight? I thought he only came out at night. Like a bat. Or an owl."

"He shouldn't come out at _all,_ " Elise said.

Both Connor and the mayor gave her stern looks. She looked at both of them and said, "What?"

Just then, something it Connor like a bullet. It came instantaneously. Powerful, excruciating pain throbbed through his head, giving him a headache that only Miles' annoying classical music could give him—only this headache was fifty times worse. He let out a long, drawn-out moan of pain and fell of the seat of his wheelchair. He could hear Elise and her father calling his name. He could fell Elise's hands on him and trying to steady him. He soon stopped hearing their voice and only heard a loud ringing instead. His vision was going blank. Everything was becoming blurry.

 _What's going on?_ he thought. _Someone help me!_

He could barely make out Elise's face. She looked… panicked. He could feel himself leaving his body. Was he dying? No… No, that couldn't be possible! What about Miles? What about the mayor? What about Grandma Wilma? What about his parents? What about… Elise. He tried reaching out to her. All he wanted was to touch her before he had to go. Oh how he loved her. He was glad that he was able to be her boyfriend. After years and years of trying, he had made it possible.

Death was knocking. He was going to be able to see his mom and dad! He hadn't seen them in so long. Now, he was going to be able to be with them, just like all those years ago.

And that was it. He brushed his fingertips along Elise's cheek, then let go.

* * *

Connor woke up with a start. He was lying on his stomach on tall, very green grass. He could hear birds chirping all around him and the wind breezing past him. He rolled onto his back and looked up. A vast forest surrounded him. All he could see were trees and sunshine. He used his gloved hand to block the sunlight from his face. Wait… He was wearing his white gloves… He sat up and saw his blue, bare, toeless feet. He was in his Sonic form. Sonic stood up and looked around some more.

"Hello, Sonic," said a deep voice. "Are do you prefer being called Connor?"

That voice… Where was it? Sonic's eyes zoned through the area around him, but he didn't see anyone. "Where are you?" he demanded. "Show yourself!"

"I am behind you," said the voice.

Sonic turned around to see a watery, cyan-colored humanoid being standing there. He could see through its body. It had yellow eyes and a pink stone-like object in its head area. The eyes never blinked. "Who are you?" asked Sonic.

"My name," said the being, "is Chaos."

Sonic began pacing around "Chaos." "Am I dead? Where am I?"

Chaos slithered away from Sonic like a snake. "You are not dead, Connor. I am… in your head. You are alive, but unconscious, lost in this world I have created to show you."

"Sh-show me for what? I wanna go home!"

"You sound like a mindless _child,_ " Chaos said coldly. "You are home. You are simply unconscious so that I may be able to deliver you this message…"

"What 'message?'"

"I am coming to your city, Connor. When I arrive, I expect you to be there, waiting for me, so that I may extract the last shard of the Master Emerald from your body."

Sonic started backing away, feeling something dangerous from Chaos. "What do _you_ know about the Master Emerald?" he asked slowly.

"It is the essence of life on this island. I must restore the Emerald before the island dies."

"Wait, I'm on Christmas Island?"

Chaos was silent for a moment. This silence was the only thing more terrifying than its voice. "'Christmas Island' is just a simple name the humans gave this place. The island's real name is… Emerald Island.

"A young, new civilization flourished here years ago. A new genus in the classification of organisms: the Mobians. They were mammals. Emerald Island was their home." Chaos raised his arms. "See for yourself."

What Sonic heard next sound like a giant group of horses galloping through a field—only it was coming from the trees. He watched in amazement as hundreds of thousands of creatures that looked just like him swung made their way through the trees like monkeys. Some were big, Some were small. Some were red. Others were green. Some were yellow or orange or blue or purple or pink or brown. Watching these Mobians was truly breathtaking.

But then they disappeared. "Nineteen years ago," said Chaos's chilling voice. "a terrible monster attacked our island." Chaos's fist grew three times bigger and slammed onto the ground, causing the earth to split. A giant serpentine monster crawled out of the large hole. The sky quickly became dark and cloudy. Lightning flashed behind the enormous monster. A violet light shined in its mouth. Its tiny eyes shone the same light. Its long, skinny arms unraveled at the sides of its body, and it issued a thunderous roar. Sonic planted his feet on the ground on fought against the force of the monster's cry.

Chaos however did not move. "This creature is known as Dark Gaia. It rose from Earth's surface and rained hell on this island, destroying all life. Only two Mobians escaped. The rest were killed."

"So, what happened next?" Sonic asked. "Did 'dark guy-uh' get tired and go back to sleep?"

Chaos looked at Sonic with a cold stare. "No. Dark Gaia does not rest until everything is consumed. Before the monster had reached its grasp toward the rest of Earth, the two Mobians returned to Emerald Island with an ally: Light Gaia. Together, the tree of them defeated Dark Gaia and sealed it back inside Earth's core. But even so, Dark Gaia will rise again. This time, with a vengeance."

"So, is that what this message is for?" Sonic asked. "You want me to go find him and make sure he's… behaving?"

"No. Though you will play a part in saving this island if you cooperate."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Give me the last piece of the Master Emerald your body hosts. With it, the Emerald and the island will be safe."

Dark Gaia was reduced to a mist, and everything started going back to normal. Sonic started hearing the murmurs of the Mobians.

"I am the Emerald's guardian," Chaos said. "I have been since the beginning of time. I have crossed an ocean to find the last piece."

Sonic nodded slowly, thinking. Being Sonic was the only way to be a hero like Grandpa Gene. He was able to do everything as Sonic… and more. He could stand. He could walk. But most importantly, he could run. Would he really give that all up for a giant gem and an island?

"What are you planning to do with the Master Emerald?"

"I will destroy Dark Gaia once and for all," replied Chaos.

"Oh. Cool. And how do you plan on doing that?"

"…By annihilating the planet on which the monster sleeps: Earth."

Sonic's eyes bulged out of his head. " _What?!_ "

Chaos grabbed the hedgehog with a giant fist. "This planet harbors some nasty specimens, Connor. The ones that are innocent are not innocent at all. When Dark Gaia returns, it will make this planet die slowly, painfully. But I… I will make Earth's death quick. Faster than the blink of an eye, all with the Master Emerald. So I ask of you, Sonic… _Give me the lost shard of the Emerald!_ "

Sonic struggled to fight off the grip of Chaos's fist. "N-no! This is crazy! You can't destroy an _entire planet!_ "

"Watch me," Chaos hissed. "You will burn with all life on this planet, Connor. I know who you are. I have seen your memories. I know of the people you love. Elise… Miles… Wilma… They will all die by my hand if you do not give me the shard!"

The fist slammed Sonic to the ground. All he could do was cry out in pain and say, "No! I won't let you! You're insane!"

"Maybe so," said Chaos. "But the universe will thank me. A few billion deaths will mean the salvation of hundreds of trillions of lives, because once Dark Gaia consumes Earth, it will move to another planet that harbors life. I will save the universe, Connor!"

" _Nooo!_ " Everything went black. Then next thing he knew, he was back in the mayor's hospital room touching Elise's cheek with a human hand. He gasped as his senses returned to him. He wasn't Sonic. He was Connor now. His human form. And, he wasn't dead. He was alive! He let Elise hug him and kiss him all over his face. His still took a while for his hearing to come back, but once it did, all he could hear was Elise's gleeful squeals.

 **Well, guys... This is where I left off. Now it's time to finish this.**


	14. Tainted Friendship

**Well, everyone, from here on out, the chapters will be new(er). So, I would really appreciate your comments. It's been two years since I left this project and I really need to know whether I've lost my touch or not. XD**

 **As I said, I plan to expand these stories to** _ **more**_ **than just Sonic and Shadow—kind of like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or the DC Extended Universe. I've just been in a rut with the Sonic series lately. It's been years since the last time Sonic had a decent game, and while I do enjoy the** _ **Sonic Boom**_ **TV series, it isn't really fulfilling.**

 **But enough about me. Time to get back to this story and finish it. If you're a new fan, welcome aboard, and if you've been here since the beginning, welcome back.**

Connor sat on his couch, touching and feeling his stomach with his hands. He could almost _feel_ the shard of the Master Emerald resting inside his soul. It almost made him sick. This was the first time since he gained his powers that he felt this way. Chaos's message had left a permanent chill in his spine. That dream felt so real... It _was_ real! Connor knew it!

He had to talk to someone. If he kept this bottled up, he knew it would surely eat him alive. His grandma Wilma was asleep in her room, so he couldn't talk to her. Elise was Sonic's biggest hater; he wasn't sure what would happen if he revealed his alter ego to her…

Miles… Connor could tell Miles. He grabbed the phone and dialed his number.

It rang only twice. "Hello?" came Miles's voice.

"Hey, it's me," said Connor. "Do… Do you think you can come over for a bit? I… I need to talk to ya. About something. Something important."

"Yeah, definitely," said Miles. "Is… Is everything okay?"

Connor heaved a deep sigh, shaking his head. "Not really."

"Oh… Sure, we can talk. I'll be over in a few minutes."

"All right. Thanks."

"Sure thing. See ya."

"See ya," Connor said, then hung up.

It was the longest fifteen minutes of Connor's life. He stayed on the couch, waiting anxiously for his best friend. His chest was heavy, his breathing was slight, and his stomach was tense. He honestly felt like he was going to vomit. Sweat was cascading down his face, and the collar area of his shirt was becoming damp. Finally, Connor heard Miles's parents' car pull up. He heard a car door shut, then he heard it drive away. He waited for Miles to knock on the front door. Miles didn't knock; he just walked in as if he lived there, too.

"C-Connor…!" Miles exclaimed. "You look _terrible._ What's the ma—?"

"Shhh…" Connor said, putting his finger to his lips. "Keep it down. My grandma's in her room sleeping."

"Oh. Sorry," Miles whispered. "How's she doing, by the way?"

"I don't know, Miles…" Connor said honestly. "After Grandpa died, she…just fell into a slump. All she does these days is sleep. She doesn't eat, and she barely talks—to anyone, not just me. She isn't handling it well, Miles. I'm worried about her."

"Is that what you wanted to talk about?" Miles asked as he took a seat next to his friend.

"Well…no. This is Sonic-related."

"All right. What's up?"

Connor cleared his throat, then took a few seconds to get his thoughts together. He kept his eyes on the floor. "I… The other day, I had this weird _vision._ It was like a dream, but it was so, so _real._ But...this blue, watery, alien-looking thing came up to me, and he said his name was…Chaos."

"Chaos…?"

"Yep. But… Okay, let me go back a bit. The shard I touched, that turned me into Sonic? It was from something called the Master Emerald. It's from this island my parents went to all those years ago, called Christmas Island. But it's _actually_ called _Emerald_ Island. The Master Emerald gives the island life, but since the shard is missing, I guess the island's dying. But if I give up the shard and let it go back to the Emerald, the island will go back to normal."

"Oh…" said Miles. "That…doesn't sound _that_ bad. I mean, yeah, you probably won't be able to be Sonic ever again, but at least you'll save that island and restore the Emerald."

"Yeah, but…" Connor shook his head, fighting back tears of fear. "Miles, there's more. God, Miles, there's _so much more._ "

"Okay. Then, tell me!"

"Okay, but what I'm gonna tell you might sound like B.S., so bear with me, all right? . . . Deep inside Earth, there's this monster called Dark Gaia. About twenty years ago, it got free and attacked Emerald Island. It killed everyone, except for two people who were able to get away. The people on the island were called Mobians. They looked just like me and that Shadow dude. But two of them escaped, and they came back with a guy named Light Gaia. They managed to put Dark Gaia back into the planet, but they didn't actually _defeat_ it. In the vision, Chaos told me that Dark Gaia's coming back, soon, and with a vengeance. Chaos wants to use the Master Emerald to kill Dark Gaia and end it once and for all. But, in order to do that, he…"

Connor became silent. His trouble breathing came back, and again he felt like he needed to throw up.

"He what?" Miles encouraged. "C'mon, Connor. He what?"

Connor looked at Miles with fear-filled eyes. "He needs to blow up the planet."

Silence. Miles was wide-eyed. Connor could tell he was searching for _something_ to say, but nothing was coming up.

"Chaos is coming to Empire, Miles," Connor said. "If I don't give him the last piece of Emerald, he… He'll go after Grandma and Elise." He decided not to say that Miles would also be on that hit list. "I'm freaking out, Miles. People are gonna die… I don't want that. I want to _save_ people. That's all I ever wanted to do when I got these powers. All I ever w—"

"C-Connor…" said Miles. "Have you ever thought…that this was a dream and _just_ a dream? Are you a hundred percent sure about this?"

"I'm a _thousand_ percent sure, Miles. I can't take that chance. I _know_ that this is going to happen. But I don't know what I should _do_ about it! I… I just wanna be a hero, like Grandpa Gene."

"Connor, you don't get it! You don't _have_ to be Sonic to be a hero! There are so many other things you can do…"

"Yeah? Like what?" Connor challenged, his eyes now filling with anger. He put his hands on his stumps. "You think someone's gonna hire a guy without legs? Huh? What else can I do? Tell me, Miles!"

"Is that the _real_ reason why you love being Sonic? Because you get your legs back? That is _really_ selfish there, Connor."

"You have _no idea_ what you're talking about," Connor growled. "You don't know what it's like. You'll never be in as much pain as I was when my legs were literally _ripped_ from my body! Even today, it still hurts sometimes! Miles, I _cried_ when I saw legs instead of stumps. I could finally walk again. I could finally _run._ "

"I understand that, Connor, and I'm happy for you. But this _isn't_ just about you. It's about _everyone._ Literally _everyone._ I… I don't know what advice I should give…"

"Well, it _seems_ you want me to give the shard back to Chaos," Connor snapped.

Miles went silent. Connor's blood went cold as he watched a tear roll down Miles's cheek. His eye were squinted together—something he almost always did when he held back from crying.

"M-Miles…"

Miles sniffed. "No, no, it's okay, Connor, I… I should probably get going."

"No, Miles, wait. I'm sorry, I—"

Miles got out his phone, ready to call his mom or dad back. He stood up. "W-whatever decision you m-m-make," Miles said, "I kn-know it'll b-be the r-r-right one."

"Miles, wait! I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm sorry! Please don't g—"

Miles dialed the number and walked out, not saying another word. Connor looked out the window and watched him make his way down the sidewalk.

Connor collapsed back onto the couch and let out a long, drawn-out groan.

 _What the hell is wrong with me?_ he asked himself. _And what the hell am I gonna do?_


	15. Freedom

It was like a scene straight out of a horror movie. At the harbor of Empire City, a large, gooey, three-fingered hand rose from the water and latched itself to a dock. It was a clear midnight, lit up beautifully by the intense moonlight. The rays emanating from the moon showed through the hand, making it seem distorted and unclear. The hand pulled on the dock, pulling up the creature that the hand belonged to.

It was Chaos. It stood up, its posture rigid like a tree. It looked around the disgusting scenery before it. All the lights… All the noise… All the different smells… This was all so different from Emerald Island. Chaos was having trouble… _processing_ everything. The place was messing with its senses.

Regardless, Chaos had to be there. It still needed to get the last piece of the Master Emerald, in order to permanently exterminate Dark Gaia—the destructive being living within the planet. Chaos could sense Connor's presence nearby. The alien-like creature began lumbering forward.

Eventually, Chaos found Connor in an alleyway, of all places. Connor looked at it with fearful eyes. It was even more terrifying to look at in real life. Its green eyes seemed so full of anger and hate. Its glare sent chills down his spine, and definitely not the good kind, either. He was trembling so badly that his wheelchair was even making a quiet rattling sound.

"You are afraid, Connor," came Chaos's deep voice. "Don't be. I'm not going to hurt you…unless you're not planning on giving the lost shard of the Emerald."

Connor was silent. His eyes went to his stumps. He put his hands on them and rubbed them, thinking about how grateful he was that he had finally got to experience walking again.

"How long have you been waiting here for me, Connor?" Chaos asked.

"Since this morning," he replied. "I… I've made my decision."

"Hmmm," Chaos said. "I trust it was the right one. I'm sure you realize that by doing this, you'll be saving countless lives. The universe will exalt you and remember you as a symbol of selflessness."

Chaos took a step forward. Connor backed away.

"Is something the matter?"

Connor looked Chaos in the eye. ". . . I'm not giving it you. I'm not giving you the last piece of the Emerald."

". . . Oh… Well, then." Chaos said. Then, his voice became harsh and slithery. "I must _take it from you._ "

Chaos's fists enlarged, and Connor thought, _Oh crap._

Chaos lunged at Connor. Connor thought fast and turned into Sonic. The two collided, knocking Sonic off his wheelchair. It tumbled through the alley as he and Chaos slid until they hit a wall. Chaos slammed his fist onto Sonic's gut, causing him to let out a loud grunt. It punched him in the face, slamming his head into the wall. Chaos picked him up with one hand, then smashed him back onto the ground.

"I've _killed_ in the name of the _Master Emerald!_ " said the monster. "I've spent _years_ looking for the lost piece, and I will _not_ let some imprudent _teenager_ keep it from me!"

Chaos threw Sonic so hard, he went through the wall and into the warehouse. He rolled along the floor like a tumbleweed until he slammed into a truck, creating a serious impression in its side. Chaos stepped through the hole and into the warehouse. Its green eyes glowed in the dark.

"This planet must die," it said. "Its fate is inevitable."

"Not if I…have anything to…say about it," mustered Sonic.

He got up and dashed towards Chaos, ready to lay a serious smackdown. Chaos grabbed him mid-dash and threw him backwards back into the alleyway. But Sonic wouldn't give up. He dashed at Chaos again, as fast as his legs could carry him. Once he was close enough, Chaos threw its fist sideways, catching him and chucking him against another wall. After recovering and landing on the ground, he dashed at Chaos yet again.

That time, Chaos did something odd. Once Sonic was mere inches from it, it thrusted its fist forward, making it go _inside_ Sonic. The hedgehog let out a blood curdling scream.

However, there wasn't any blood or gore—only a bright cyan light. Nevertheless, Sonic felt like Chaos was trying to pull his heart out. His feet dangled above the ground. He kicked and squirmed, trying to get free, but Chaos's hold on him was too strong. The cyan light grew brighter and brighter, until it completely engulfed Sonic. He let out another yell as a sharp pain coursed through his body. He begged Chaos to stop, to spare him, to leave him alive, but the monster said nothing.

Then, it was over. Connor felt himself fall to the ground with a _thud_. He forced himself to open his eyes. He had no idea how he was still alive.

His stomach was perfectly fine, as if Chaos's hand was a ghost. He looked up.

In Chaos's hand was the lost piece of the Master Emerald.

"F-f-finally…" Chaos said, its entire body shaking with elation. He held up the shard, admiring its impartial beauty. "I h-have it… It's fuh-finally _mine…_ "

"No…" Connor wheezed, still searching for his breath. "P…please… Don't…"

"Oh, _Connor,_ " Chaos said. Now his voice was normal, and he sounded… _nice,_ almost. "I'm _glad_ that it was you who found this. Anyone else would've used its power for evil, for _oppression._ But not you. You used it for _good._ This city holds 'Sonic The Hedgehog' as a symbol of hope, does it not? But now, you'll be a symbol of _freedom!_ "

"F-freedom? Freedom from what?"

"Hate. War. Disease. Famine. Hostility. Crime. When I destroy this planet, all of those things will be destroyed as well. Everyone will be _free!_ Dark Gaia will be no more! And they'll have _you_ to thank, O Holder of the Lost Piece of the Master Emerald!"

" _Nooo!_ " cried Connor. "You can't! There's _good_ in the world, Chaos!"

" _Connor!_ " Chaos bellowed. "I… I watched _the people of my home die._ Dark Gaia turned Emerald Island into a wasteland. There's no life there, other than the plants—the _weeds._ I have lost everything, and, as sad as it was, I learned to let go. I learned how to _detach_ from the things—the _people—_ I once loved. You must do the same. Tell me, Connor… Do you love Elise? Do you love your grandmother?"

"M-more than anything," Connor answered honestly.

" _Bury it._ Let it go. It will lighten the pain. Because… I plan on keeping you alive. I want you to be my herald."

Connor was exasperated. Him, Chaos's herald? What did Chaos see in _him_ to think he was worth sparing?

"N-no… No, I can't do that," Connor said.

"If you accept, I will give you your legs back."

Connor began backing away, towards his wheelchair. "No… I'm sorry, but— I can't…"

Chaos looked at the shard of the Emerald, then at Connor. "Twelve hours. That's how long you have until I begin the process of destruction. Use that time wisely."

Chaos let off a white flash of light, then was gone.

Just then, Connor heard a familiar squeak. He looked around until he found its source. A few feet ahead of him was his pet hedgehog.

"K-Kermit?" Connor. He waddled over to the tiny animal. "Where the heck have you been, buddy?"

Kermit immediately recognized Connor and crawled into his hand. Connor looked around, expecting to see a hedgehog nest or something like that.

"Y-you okay, buddy?" Connor asked the hedgehog.

Kermit showed no signs of starvation. His body was very clean, and he didn't have any injuries. And why was Kermit here at this time, of all places?

"Let's… Let's get you home, buddy."

Connor got on his wheelchair and started making his way home. It was time to live what was possibly the last day of his life.


	16. Holding on to Hope

Connor stopped in front of the door to his grandmother's room. He took a deep breath. He could do this.

It was 9 AM, so there were three or four hours left until Chaos ended the world. This was the last day of Connor's life, and he had to live it accordingly.

Wilma had always been an early riser, but ever since her husband Gene died, she rarely got up before afternoon. Connor hated seeing her grieve like this. He wanted to help her, but simply didn't know how. He missed his grandpa Gene, and he was deeply saddened by the fact that it was because of _him_ that Gene was killed. He wondered, should he tell his grandma that? Should he tell her everything? About Sonic? About how Gene died? Would she even be able to handle it?

He couldn't tell her. Not only was this his last day, but also _Wilma's_ last day. _Elise's_ last day. Miles's. General Serkins's. Even Don Richards's.

He went in without even knocking. "Hey, Grandma?" he said as he waddled over to her bed. "It's… It's time to wake up. Grandma?"

He found it ironic—a sophomore in high school was telling an elderly person to get up. It was usually the other way around. He hated getting up for school, and Gene or Wilma always had to make him get up.

"C'mon, Grandma, get up," Connor said, using a serious tone.

"InafewminutesConnor," she mumbled, not moving at all.

"Granny, you said that half an hour ago. Don't you wanna have some breakfast with me?"

"Mmmfff…"

Connor was heartbroken. His own grandmother was too inconsolable to get up and have breakfast with him. He made his way out of her room, softly closing the door behind him.

He went to his room and grabbed his cell phone, then went to his contacts. He went past Elise and to Miles. He almost selected his name, but stopped. He knew Miles wouldn't want to talk to him. Connor didn't even know if Miles would listen if he told him that the world was ending in a few hours.

He went back to Elise's name and selected it. He put his phone to his ear as it began to ring. It was only three or four seconds until she answered and he heard her angelic voice.

"Hello?" came her voice.

"H-hi, Elise," Connor began nervously.

"Hi, Con!" Elise said. "What's up?"

"Oh, uh… Y'know, _nothin',_ " he said, trying his absolute best to sound casual. Every molecule of his body wanted him to shout, "ELISE! THE FUCKING WORLD'S ABOUT TO END AND I LOVE YOU AND I WANT TO BE WITH YOU ONE LAST TIME!" But, instead, he said, "Y'know, nothin'. I was, uh… I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out."

". . . _Now?_ "

"Well, uh, yeah. Sure. Totally."

"Awww, I'm sorry, Con, but my dad's making me go to this political thing with him at Phillips Tower. I'm totally free tonight, though. Would 6 or 6:30 work?"

"Y-y-yeah! Yeah, definitely! That's— Yeah, that'll work just great!"

Elise was silent for a moment. Then… "Are… Are you okay, Connor?"

"Heck yeah I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be okay? I'm _perfectly_ fine."

"It's just… You seem a little— I don't know. You just seem kinda jumpy."

"Jumpy? I'm not jumpy. Why would I be jumpy?"

Elise giggled a little. "Are you trying coffee again, Connie? I thought you knew your body doesn't like coffee."

 _Just tell her the truth, you imbecile!_ he thought. He wondered how easy or difficult it would be to do so. Would she even believe him? He didn't want to risk getting her mad at him. After all, she wasn't Sonic's biggest fan.

"Connor? You still there?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah! Yeah, I'm still here. Sorry about that… And yeah, I thought I'd give coffee another try." He was lying, of course. "Definitely not doing that again."

"Ha! . . . Oh, Dad's calling for me. I gotta go. See you tonight, all right?"

"Yeah, that's… That sounds great. I…"

 _Tell her you love her, you nitwit!_

"I…"

 _Tell her!_

"I… I'll see you later."

 _You MORON!_

"Sure thing, Con," Elise said. "I'll see you later. Bye-bye."

"Bye."

After hanging up, Connor took his phone and chucked it onto the floor. A pure, deep yell of rage was trying to escape his throat, but he wouldn't let it. Instead, he let out a long, hot exhale. _Idiot, idiot, idiot!_ he repeated to himself, over and over. He hopped up onto his bed and lay down. Kermit was napping on Connor's pillow. The small animal crawled up onto his forehead and lay down.

"What am I gonna do, Kermit?" Connor asked his pet. "It's one of my greatest fears… I'm gonna die alone."

He put the hedgehog on his lap and sat up. He looked at his dresser, where a picture of him, Gene, and Wilma sat. Right next to that was a smaller photo of his parents Jeff and Darla. Everyone looked so happy in those pictures. They were taken during simpler times—when he hadn't discovered the Mobians or Dark Gaia or Chaos or the Master Emerald, when the only problems he faced involved getting used to living without legs, when his friendship with Elise was beginning to blossom.

Connor looked back down at Kermit. "C'mon, buddy," he said. "There's one last thing I wanna do."

* * *

"Grandma misses you. I miss you. Heck, even Elise and Miles miss you."

Connor looked upon his grandfather's grave, his wheelchair only a foot away from the burial site. He kept his eyes on his tombstone, which read, "EUGENE CONNOR FORD, Beloved Husband, Father, and Grandfather."

The sky was unusually clear and blue, save for Empire City's immense, towering skyscrapers. Winter still had a cold grip on the city, but with spring approaching, Empire was beginning to fight back against winter's hold.

"Everyone misses you," Connor continued. "You've touched so many lives. Heh… You should've seen your funeral. I've never seen so many people lacked together in one tight place.

"I… I failed you, Grandpa. I let my _anger_ get the best of me. I shouldn't have stormed out of the house like that. But…you and Grandma kept a secret from me. And I kept a secret from _you._ Neither of us should've done that. But… But this was my fault. Not yours. Not Granny's. Mine.

"I've failed you in life. I'm _not_ gonna fail you in death. That's not fair to anyone. . . . I want to be _better,_ Grandpa. I wanted to be a _hero,_ just like you were—like you _are._ Being Sonic allowed me to do that. I've learned so much more about the world since I got my powers. I've saved and met so many people— _good_ people. I didn't just learn _why_ I got my powers, but also _how_ I got them.

"But now I don't have them anymore. I lost them, Grandpa… I lost them… I've been asking myself the real reason why I loved being Sonic. Was it because I got to be a hero, like you? Or was it because I could walk again? I keep trying to tell myself it's because of being a hero, but deep down, I _know_ it's because I got my legs back. I hate how selfish that is of me. It's like… It's like I'm doing good things for selfish reasons—like, even though being Sonic and doing good things was benefitting everyone, I was mostly just doing it for my benefit. Y'know? It's… I… You…"

Connor stopped himself from rambling any further. He needed to move on. He was on borrowed time, after all.

"I yelled at Miles, and I ended up hurting his feelings. Now I don't know where our friendship is going. Well, I guess it doesn't matter now. And Elise… Oh, God, Grandpa… Elise… She's perfect as usual. But…I couldn't tell her I love her. . . . And I know that if you were here, you'd say, 'Couldn't? Or didn't?' I don't know what I'm so afraid of… She likes me, Grandpa. She really does. And I like her too. I just… I don't what's holding me back."

Connor suddenly felt a small tremor in the ground. For a second, he was scared that Gene had come back to life and was clawing himself out of the ground. But then, he looked up. A thick, black cloud was appearing out of thin air and blanketing the city. Cyan-colored lightning flashed across the darkened sky, and a loud roar of thunder shook the area. Chaos was finally beginning the process.

Once Connor recovered, he returned his attention to his grandfather's grave. "It was…nice talking to you, Grandpa. But now…I have to do something incredibly stupid. I'm not ready for this to end. As much as I miss you, I'm not ready to see you again yet. I love you, Grandpa. See ya later."

After making sure Kermit was still with him, he made his way out of the graveyard and towards the city. More cyan lightning erupted from the sky.

* * *

It was so odd. Connor knew exactly where to go to find the Master Emerald. Chaos had transported it to Empire City, most likely to spite Connor. He guessed Chaos wanted him to see the destruction firsthand, or maybe it was supposed to scare him into accepting Chaos's offer to become its herald.

He barely thought about how and why the Master Emerald was calling to him. He hurriedly guessed it was just a side effect of being previously bonded to it. Regardless, Connor and Kermit went as fast as Connor's wheelchair could take them. Eventually, Connor found himself in the slums of Empire, a place where the building weren't sleek and tall, and where the people weren't happy. Connor always thought of it as a miniature Gotham City.

The Emerald's calls brought the teen to a small, abandoned building. As he went inside, the Emerald's soft vocals became a crisp yell. A bunch of different voices bombarded him, causing him to stop and cover his ears. It didn't help. He couldn't hear himself scream as the voices pierced his mind…

" _Technology is the only thing you can trust. That's why I'm going to rid this world if all organic life forms, and rebuild it, piece by robotic piece!_ "

" _Seven lights of the earth rekindled—awaken, and gather here to me!_ "

" _What good is a world that lasts forever?!_ "

" _Find the computer room!_ "

" _If the world chooses to become my enemy, I will fight…like I always have!_ "

" _I get the treasure, I get the payday, and that's it. That's all there is to me. Nothin' else._ "

" _You will bring to me the seven Chaos Emeralds, as promised…_ "

" _There's more of us, Vector! There's more of us! Find us! Before it's too late!_ "

" _For millennia, I have watched this universe tear itself apart. I have seen order overcome chaos, and vice versa. The universe can never be balanced. One side is always stronger than the other. That is why I will end it all. The Mobians and their false ideals of hope have seen that end, and they were powerless to it. I will destroy everything! I am a being of destruction! You will all fall before me! You will all bow to—_ "

Just like that, the voices were gone. Connor was given a straight path to the Master Emerald, and he followed it.

He found a room that emananated a cyan-colored light. As he went inside, he expected to see a whole crowd of people, but instead, it was just Chaos and the Emerald.

"Isn't it beautiful, Connor?" asked Chaos, not even looking at the teen. "The Master Emerald is the most cherished object on Earth, and rightfully so. Its power is only limited to your imagination. It can build. It can _destroy._ It can be a symbol of Chaos, or an agent of Hope. It can inspire the Heart to keeping beating, and it can cleanse the Sol."

"'Soul'?" Connor asked.

" _Sol,_ " repeated Chaos. "All those years ago, when Dark Gaia brought hell to Emerald Island…Light Gaia almost _died._ He used every bit of power to destroy the beast, but it wasn't enough. But Dark Gaia was still stopped, by forces unknown."

"By what? Like, a god?"

Chaos chuckled. "Don't be foolish, Connor. _I_ am a god. Nevertheless, it was enough to send Dark Gaia back into the earth. It will rise again, however, stronger than ever. And once it consumes this planet, it will move onto to other inhabited worlds and consume them as well. That is why I must stop this monster. That is why I…must become Perfect Chaos."

"Doesn't sound too pleasant," said Connor.

"No. It won't. Nor will it be quick, like I promised." Chaos turned to Connor. "When you were still bonded to the Lost Piece of the Master Emerald, I gained complete access to your mind. Your memories, your hopes, your ideals…and your fears. I know all of your fears, Connor. You know what you fear most?"

Connor was silent.

"Dying alone…and _water._ "

A huge jet of water gushed through the wall and slammed into Connor, knocking him clean off his wheelchair. As the room began filling up, Chaos put its hands on the Master Emerald…

 **Holy crud, that was a heck of a chapter to write! As always, keep those reviews coming in. And yay, this story's almost done! Thank you to everyone for giving this story a second chance. :)**


	17. A Promise

People were running for their lives. Water flooded the streets, as if someone had just dumped a water tank the size of Texas onto the northern end of Empire City. Everything was being swept away—cars, newspaper stands, streetlights, and, of course, people. Buildings that weren't strong enough succumbed to the force, and were swept away as well. The water was only in the north part of the city...but it was beginning to make its way downward, toward the rest of Empire.

In the middle of the city was Phillips Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the world, standing at nearly 2,650 feet in height. Empire City was world-renowned for its skyscrapers, and Phillips Tower was the city's pride and joy.

Elise was inside the tower, on the 105th floor, with her father, the mayor of Empire. The two were looking out the window. They could barely see everything that was transpiring a few miles away.

"My god…" the mayor said quietly. "It's the second Great Flood…"

"Do you— Do you think it's gonna reach us, Dad?" Elise asked.

"I… I'm not sure, honey. It doesn't seem like it's strong enough to—"

Just then, a huge jet of water erupted from the ground, just a few feet away from the tower. The jet climbed higher and higher, until it was taller than even the tower. Elise and the mayor took a few steps back as the windows became drenched, obstructing their view.

The building shook as more jets of water erupted from all around it. The other people on the floor began to scream and cry. One person even shouted, "It's the end of the worrrld!"

"Is the tower gonna hold up, Dad?" Elise asked, not nearly as frightened as everyone else.

"Puh…probably. Stay close to me, Elise, okay? All we can do—" The tower shook again, almost making the mayor lose his balance. Elise grabbed him, holding him steady. "All we can do is h-hope, Elise."

"The city's gonna flooooood!" someone yelled.

Suddenly, the lights went out, leaving the only source of light to come through the windows. The sound of a waterfall began filling their ears.

Then they heard a roar.

"Wh-what was that?!" a business suit asked.

"I…don't know!" the mayor yelled through noise.

"We're gonna drowwwn!"

"No we're not!" the mayor said.

Another roar pierced their eardrums. It sounded like it came from the most terrible of monsters.

Then came the _crunch._ Elise and her dad's hearts sank. They knew exactly what that sound was and where it came from.

A cold, harsh blew into them, and the tower opened up above them like wrapping paper. The ten remaining floors of the tower, gone in a matter of seconds.

But that wasn't the worst of it. A serpentine monster loomed over them. Its skin was a rich blue color, and its eyes were green as grass. Water seemed to be pumping _through_ the creature. Its teeth were small, yet pointy and numerous. A white bolt of lightning flashed above it. The sky was nearly pitch black, as a giant cloud was blocking the sun.

"Elissse…" the monster hissed. "You're the one he lovesss… And you will feel hisss pain! Chaos isss my name. It shall be the lassst name you will remember."

Like a fire-breathing dragon, Perfect Chaos opened its mouth wide, and a huge stream of water burst out of its throat.

Elise felt like she'd been taken by a giant wave. In a way, she _had_ been. Everything around her was water. She knew she wasn't in the tower anymore, but she couldn't figure out where she actually _was._

She felt like she was going 200 miles per hour on the waterslide to hell. She felt her knee collide with something. She opened her mouth to scream…and she immediately regretted it.

Water filled her mouth and got into her throat. She tried resisting the urge to cough, but it was too much. She began to choke.

Elise forced herself to open her eyes. At first, she thought she was in the middle of the ocean, but then a car drifted past, just a few feet in front of her. Below her, she could see the street.

Her knee was becoming numb; it was most likely broken. All that time without air was making her tired. With each passing second, her strength seeped away. She couldn't see the surface, either.

Elise was going to die there.

With the few seconds she had left, Elise thought of her dad. She hoped that he had made it somewhere safe and was doing better than she was. She thought of Connor and his grandmother. The flood probably hadn't reached them yet, so they had plenty of time to prepare. She even thought of Miles, Connor's best friend.

And finally, she thought about her mom. She never knew much about her, but Elise guessed she had been kind person, and a good wife to her father.

A gold light filled her vision. It was time. Elise closed her eyes and let out the last bit of breath she'd been so desperately clinging on to. She felt herself go into a set of two slender arms, and once they were safely around her, she felt herself go upward, toward the surface.

As she and the golden light broke out of the water, she began to cough and spurt up water, and life made its way back to her.

"I… *Cough, cough* I'm not dead…?" she whispered.

She saw a face next to her, where the gold light was. It was a face she had hoped she would never see up-close.

"S-Sonic…?"

The figure's body was now a yellow color, as if he actually had been coated in gold. His eyes were almost as red as blood, and his spikes pointed upward.

"You okay, Elise?" he asked. His voice reverberated around her, as if he was some kind of ghost.

"S-Sonic… W-where's my dad?! Those other people?! Where are they?!"

"Don't worry," the golden Sonic said calmly. "I got 'em to safety. I can take you to 'em, if you'd like."

"Y-yes! . . . Yes, please!"

"All right."

And they were off. Elise couldn't believe it. She was _flying._ Sonic held on to her tightly, keeping her safe from the water below.

"So…" she began. "Is… Is this some kind of…alternate form of yours?"

"Yeah," said Sonic. "I'm calling it 'Super Sonic'. 'Cause, y'know, the word 'supersonic', and me being _called_ Sonic. It's— It's a terrible name, I know."

"No, I… I like it," Elise told him.

"Oh. Well, then. Super Sonic it is."

Elise and Super Sonic came to a building that was still standing, despite the mass hysteria happening throughout Empire. On the roof of the building were a dozen people—including Elise's father.

"Dad!" she called, waving at him. The mayor waved back, shouting out her name.

Super Sonic cleared his throat. "Uhm… Elise? Can… Can I…say something to you?"

"What?' she asked.

His red eyes gazed into her hazel. "A lot of stuff is about to happen, Elise. But I promise you, I'll keep you and the city safe. But…can you promise _me_ something?"

"Uh, s-sure. Yeah. Wh-what is it?"

". . . _Smile,_ " he said, giving her his own friendly grin. "Can you do that for me? Please?"

Elise was confused, to say the least. Was that it? Just smile? He didn't need anything else?

"Can you?" he asked again.

Elise nodded, then forced herself to put on a cheeky smile.

"Thank you," said Super Sonic. "Now…be strong, okay? Be strong. It's what your mom would want. . . . It's what Grandpa Gene would want."

Elise's heart skipped a beat. Her eyes went wide, and she began to see Sonic in a different way. " _Connor?!_ "

Super Sonic's smile became less friendly and more painful.

Elise was put on the roof with her father. Her mouth went dry as Super Sonic began to ascend. He gave her a small, tragic wave goodbye, then took off, leaving a slight misty trail behind him.


	18. Perfect Chaos

**Earlier…**

Chaos turned to Connor. "When you were still bonded to the Lost Piece of the Master Emerald, I gained complete access to your mind. Your memories, your hopes, your ideals…and your fears. I know all of your fears, Connor. You know what you fear most?"

Connor was silent. He quickly put two and two together. A water god, asking him what he feared most? Connor knew what Chaos was about to do. He put his hand over the pocket Kermit was in, ready for what was to come.

"Dying alone," Chaos said, "and _water._ "

A huge jet of water gushed through the wall and slammed into Connor, knocking him clean off his wheelchair. It took every fiber in his being to keep Kermit from getting soaked, which was no easy task, given that he was going at what felt like two hundred miles an hour. He'd lost his vision, and he couldn't breathe.

As the water swirled around the room, so did he, completely powerless to its force. He could only imagine the hell Kermit was going through. His hand was practically air-locked over the hedgehog.

Connor had no idea where the water was coming from, but there was too much going on for him to dwell on that. Chaos had probably conjured it, simple as that.

But then, the room was completely full, and the swirling stopped. Connor emerged from the surface. His nose was only an inch from the ceiling. He had no legs to swim with, and he was using one hand to protect Kermit.

That's when the horrors began.

Connor felt like he was a five-year-old kid again, hanging out at the beach with his parents…

He wanted to go swimming…

His dad told him not to go too far, but Connor didn't listen…

Why couldn't he have listened…?

He tried diving into the water, but instead did an awkward belly flop…

He began rotating his arms, and he swam…

He thought he looked like an Olympic swimmer…

Then came the pain…

The searing pain…

A pain so harsh, it couldn't be described…

Then came the _red…_

There was so much damn _red…_

He felt his _soul_ spilling out of him…

Out of his _legs…_

"Muh… Mommy…" he sputtered…

"Mom… Help me… _Mooooommm…!_ "

Just like that, Connor was back in the present. His free arm was so exhausted, so he finally stopped fighting and let the water take him. Once he was underwater, he forced himself to open his eyes. The first thing he saw was the Master Emerald. Its beautiful light was much less vibrant than before, but it was still bright enough to perfectly illuminate the room. Chaos was nowhere to be seen.

Connor thought of something. He knew what would happen if he touched just a _piece_ of the Emerald, so, what would happen if he touched the _whole thing?_

Kermit was drowning—Connor could feel it. As exhausted as he was, Connor knew he couldn't give up. This wasn't the end. Not for him. Not for Empire City. Not for Sonic The Hedgehog.

Connor began swimming. He dived for the bottom, where the Master Emerald was. Once he was close enough, he reached his hand outward. Before he even touched it, he could feel the Emerald's remaining energy surge through his body.

Touching the Emerald felt like putting his hand on the shoulder of a good friend. As more and more power surged through him, he began to glow with a golden light, and he felt himself transforming…

It was time to stop Chaos.

* * *

 **Now**

Super Sonic looked into the eyes of Elise. He knew, right then and there, that he had to tell her the truth.

"A lot of stuff is about to happen, Elise," he told her. "But I promise you, I'll keep you and the city safe. But…can you promise _me_ something?"

Elise seemed confused at first, but she soon nodded. "Uh, s-sure. Yeah. Wh-what is it?"

". . . _Smile,_ " Super Sonic said, giving her his own friendly grin. "Can you do that for me? Please?"

Elise only gave him a blank stare, like she didn't know what he was talking about. He didn't blame her, actually. It _was_ an odd request.

"Can you?" he asked again.

Elise nodded, and she smiled back at him.

"Thank you," he said. "Now…be strong, okay? Be strong. It's what your mom would want. . . . It's what Grandpa Gene would want."

Elise's eyes went wide as plates. She figured it out. " _Connor?!_ "

He gave her a solemn look, as if to say, "I'm sorry." He put her down on the roof with her father and the others. He gave her a short wave goodbye before flying away, leaving Elise awestruck and blasphemed.

Flying felt so natural to Super Sonic, like he had been doing it for _years._ All he had to do was will it, and it was so.

He dared not look at the water below. He couldn't let the memories come back and paralyze him. Not when Empire City was so close to destruction… He had to buckle down and save everyone, because, now, the city needed Sonic The Hedgehog more than ever.

 _Grandpa…_ he thought. _This is for you. I won't let you down again._

Finding Perfect Chaos was probably the easiest thing Super Sonic had ever done in his life. The monstrosity was bigger than even Phillips Tower, Empire's tallest skyscraper. The area around it flooded with giant waves of water.

 _I need to stop this before it gets to the rest of the city,_ Super Sonic told himself.

Perfect Chaos spotted Super Sonic and roared. "Connor _Fooorrrd!_ " the monster shrieked. "I usssed the negative energy of the Master Emerald to obtain thisss form… You usssed its _posssitive_ energy to obtain _yoursss…_ And now…the greatessst battle in thisss planet's hissstory can finally take placcce!"

Super Sonic flew no further once he was in front of the water monster's face. "Chaos! This isn't about battles or deciding Earth's fate! You're _killing_ people! You've probably killed hundreds of people by now, and—"

"And I will kill _billionsss_ more!" Perfect Chaos declared.

"No. You won't. I won't let you!"

"Then _battle_ me, Sssonic The Hedgehog!"

Purple orbs of energy seemed to appear out of thin air and launch themselves at Super Sonic. The hero juked left and right in order to dodge them. He ascended upward while dodging more orbs. He climbed higher and higher, umtil he was at eye level with Perfect Chaos. He circled around the monster, desperately searching for a weak point. He wasn't paying attention, and he got hit by an orb. It didn't hurt, but it knocked him back considerably.

But then, the purple energy wrapped around him like a snake, and he could feel his power being sapped. Super Sonic called forth his will, and he unleashed a burst of golden aura, and the purple energy dissipated.

Flying was a bit tougher now. A good portion of the Master Emerald's energy had been leeched from him, and now he was paying the price.

But he had to keep going, he thought.

Super Sonic rolled himself into a ball and charged into Perfect Chaos's gut. The monstrosity let out a high-pitched shriek of pain, bending over slightly, as anyone would after getting socked in the stomach. Super Sonic zipped upward and charged into Perfect Chaos's chin, making it throw its head backward.

Super Sonic barely had any time to celebrate, as more purple orbs of energy appeared. He nosedived back to the city. Cold wind rushed into his face, and heavy rain pounded against his body. Empire City was still steadily filling up with water. Super Sonic knew it was only a matter of time before the water reached his neighborhood.

He flipped with a 180 going in between the orbs, dodging them like the super hero he was. Perfect Chaos looked down at Super Sonic and opened its mouth, unleashing what was practically a waterfall.

Super Sonic got hit by the huge torrent of water, but he didn't let it take him. He put his fists in front of him like he was Superman, and he fought against the giant waterfall. He pushed, and he pushed, and he _pushed,_ and with a great yell, Super Sonic flew into Perfect Chaos's throat and came through the back of its head.

That didn't kill it, however. It only dazed it. Super Sonic looked down and saw something peculiar. On Perfect Chaos's head was a large cyan crystal, almost resembling a horn.

 _That might be Chaos's weak point,_ Super Sonic thought. _No harm in finding out… It even has the same color as the Emerald._

He gathered himself up and charged forward, toward the monster's horn. As he tackled the object, it flew off Perfect Chaos's head and shattered into hundreds of pieces. The monster froze, as if it had been turned to ice. Then, it let out a deep growl.

"You…took out…my link…to the…Massster…Emerald…you imbeccci—"

A beam of sunshine broke from the black clouds and hit Perfect Chaos. The abomination roared and screeched in agony, and it began melting. It fell against a building, but instead of taking the building out, the building seemed to take _it_ out. Before long, Perfect Chaos was nothing more than a giant puddle.

Everything was already beginning to clear up. The sunshine returned, and the water was disappearing. What _wasn't_ going away, however, was the damage. Super Sonic could see that Empire City had taken a _serious_ beating. It wasn't on the same level as Westopolis's destruction, but it was damage nonetheless.

Chaos was in the middle of the street, slowly reforming itself. Once its eyes emerged, they looked directly at Super Sonic.

As the hero landed, Chaos said, "Do you realize what you've done? Do you know that you have just _doomed_ your entire planet?"

"Chaos…" began Super Sonic. "When there's a big problem up ahead, you don't do everything you can to avoid it. You _face it._ When Dark Gaia does come, I'll be ready and waiting. If… If it _does_ destroy Earth, I won't let it do that without a fight first."

Chaos only laughed. It was loud and wild, like it had just heard the greatest joke in history. "You— Hee hee… You think can _destroy_ Dark Gaia with sheer _optimism?_ " Now fully reformed, Chaos stood up and clenched its fists. "I'm not finished with you, Connor. I _will_ end this planet, and Dark Gaia along with it."

Super Sonic clenched his fists as well, then smirked. "Come on, then, tough guy. Let's end this."


	19. Revelation

**Four thousand views, guys! That's amazing! And I have you to thank! From here, we can only get bigger!**

"Face me, Sonic The Hedgehog!" Chaos screamed, holding its arms outward. "Show me that you are deserving of the Master Emerald's _power!_ "

One second, Super Sonic was a few feet away from it—the next, he was standing directly in front of it. He grabbed Chaos by the shoulders and took it with him as he flew into the clear sky. From that high up, it was obvious that Empire City had taken a good amount of damage, but it was nowhere near destroyed.

Once they were a couple miles above the city, Super Sonic looked around, Chaos still in his hands. "Well, _crap,_ " he said. "I, uh… I actually didn't think this far ahead… Heh heh…"

" _I did,_ " Chaos hissed. It twisted out of Super Sonic's grip. At first, he thought it was going to fall, but then it extended its arms and grabbed Super Sonic's head with both hands.

"Ow! Hey! Let go!"

"Connor…" Chaos said softly. "I have shown you once before the massacre on Emerald Island… Now, I will show it to you again, through my eyes."

"Wh-what? What're you talking about?"

"I will show you the memory—the memory I buried so long ago so that I could hide the pain. I see now how selfish of me it was to do that. My friends, my home… They were—they _are—_ a part of me. I will show you my moment of weakness. Watch, Connor, and witness…"

A bright, green light flashed in Super Sonic's eyes, and he felt like his very soul was being ripped from his body. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the wild ride out of reality.

Then he opened them. He was back on Emerald Island. He beheld its beauty and grace. He never knew such a place on Earth could be so magnificent… Then a giant fireball fell from the sky, engulfing the trees in flames.

"Well, that was kinda glum," Sonic said.

 _Hush, Connor,_ came Chaos's voice in his head. _You are now seeing the devastation of the island through my eyes._

"So, right now I'm…you?"

 _In a manner of speaking, yes._

"Is it okay if I punch myself in the face?"

"Chaos!" a girl's voice chimed. "Come on! This way!"

"I'm coming, Tikal," said Sonic—or Chaos.

Chaos ran after the source of the voice, light brown-colored echidna-like Mobian. She wore sandals and a green tunic. As Chaos ran, it looked up. Dark Gaia loomed over the island, shooting explosive fireballs out of its mouth, ravaging the landscape. All Mobians were running for their lives, but they were helpless to the attack. Every fireball the dark monster fired hit their mark, taking out tens of Mobians at a time.

"By the Ancients…" Chaos whispered. "This is the end…"

"Chaos, hurry!" Tikal yelled back to him.

"Where are we going, Tikal?"

"The Master Emerald! Maybe you can harness its power and stop Dark Gaia!"

"I-I can…?"

"Of course! Now keep up! My father should already be in the cave with the Emerald?"

"Chief Pachacamac? He'll help?"

A fireball exploded behind Chaos, knocking it off its feet. It quickly got up, almost tripping over itself as it did. Pachacamac was already waiting for them when they got in the cave and entered the Master Emerald's chamber. The chief's fur was a deep brown, and he sported thick, white eyebrows and mustache.

"Father!" Tikal exclaimed, running up to him and hugging him. "How is the evacuation going?"

The chief hugged his daughter back. "Knuckles and the Knuckles Clan are trying to get everyone on the boats, but there's so much hysteria… I… I fear the worst, Tikal…"

"It's okay, Father." She looked up at him. "Chaos is here. He'll take in the Master Emerald's energy and stop Dark Gaia!"

 _Now watch, Connor. The moment is about to arrive…_

"He can?" said the chief.

"I… I believe so," Chaos said timidly. "I will try."

"Do not _try,_ " Pachacamac said sternly. " _Succeed._ "

Chaos put its hand on the Emerald, then concentrated. It focused on changing form—changing into something strong enough to defeat Dark Gaia. Nothing was happening, however.

"What is this?!" Pachacamac demanded. "Why are you not transforming? Change, Chaos! Change into something that can save us all!"

"I'm… _trying,_ " it said. It focused harder—it focused on what it wanted: to save the lives of its friends. " _Gaaahhh!_ "

"Chaos…" Tikal said softly. "Why is it not working?"

It took its hands off the Emerald and turned to her. It said in a solemn tone, "Because I am afraid."

Chief Pachacamac threw his staff on the ground. "How could you _possibly_ be afraid?!" he spat. "You are _the most powerful_ being in the _world!_ Everyone is _dying_ from that terrible monster! So tell me, Chaos—what could you _possibly_ be _afraid of?!_ "

"Father," said Tikal, "calm down. He… He doesn't respond well to that kind of—"

"Don't talk of me like I am some sort of _pet,_ Tikal!" Chaos said, pointing a finger at her.

"I think we should leave, my daughter," Pachacamac told her. He grabbed his staff, then he grabbed her arm.

"F-Father, wait!"

The two dashed out of the cave, leaving Chaos all by itself.

The water monster faced the Master Emerald and slammed its fists against it. "Come on!" it screamed. "Emerald, give me your power, so that I may save this island! _Please!_ "

Still, nothing happened.

" _Pleeeaaase!_ "

No response. Chaos fell to the ground, sobbing. It curled up in to a fetal position, silently letting out wails of wails of rage and sadness.

* * *

Super Sonic gasped for air as he returned to his body. They were still high in the sky, miles of Empire City. He had Chaos's squishy body in his hands again.

Then, Super Sonic did something he never thought he'd do: he gave Chaos a hug.

"Chaos, I— I'm so sorry…"

"After hours of weeping," Chaos whispered, "I left the cave. I… All I saw was death. The island was nothing more than a burning wasteland. Everyone was dead, including Tikal…and Pachacamac. Dark Gaia was still loose, clearly pleased with its destructive work. Consumed with grief, I went back into the cave and sealed myself in the Master Emerald… I had failed… Eventually, Dark Gaia was subdued, but not defeated, and the island returned to natural state. But what was still there…was the fact that I had failed."

"Chaos…" said Super Sonic. "You can redeem yourself, bud! When Dark Gaia rises again, you and I can team up and defeat him _together!_ Please, you gotta have some _hope!_ "

"No, Connor… No… Hope is dead. It died with the Mobians… And now, the question lingers… Will I fail, when it's time? Will my fear get the best of me once more? I… I…"

"Chaos? Chaos, listen to me—"

"I _will_ fail! I know it!" Chaos looked up at him with terror-filled eyes. "I am an imperfect being! Even when I was Perfect Chaos, I was _still_ inadequate!"

"Chaos, what are you saying?! None of that is _true!_ You can be a hero!"

"Connor, I can already see it…" Chaos murmured.

"What? See _what?_ "

"Your _fall…_ Your optimism—your petty _heroics—_ will be your downfall. I do _not_ want to see that day… I _want…_ I want to see Tikal again!"

"What are you _talking_ about?" Super Sonic yelled.

Chaos's fingers grew into sharp, scythe-like claws. At first, Super Sonic thought it was going to attack him, but instead it did something… _unexpected._

Chaos reached into its own head and pulled the pink stone behind its eyes, grabbing it with its claws. The object fell into the monster's hand—

"Chaos, what the hell are you doing?!" cried Super Sonic.

"What needs to be done."

—and was crushed.

Chaos's body started cracking and splintering like glass.

"Oh my god…" Super Sonic breathed. "You're _dying._ "

"Yes…" Chaos wheezed. "I… *kaff kaff* I should have done this years and _years_ ago…because, if I had, your parents would still be here."

"Chaos, no! No!"

"Goodbye, Connor Ford…"

" _Nooo!_ "

Chaos exploded into sparkles and dust. Super Sonic just stayed there, completely in shock.

"No… C-Chaos… No…"

Some of the sparkly dust floated into his empty hands. As it did, a single tear rolled down his cheek.

Chaos was dead.


	20. Requiem

" _Guilt_ is not a response to _anger;_ it is a response to one's own action or _lack_ of action. "

\- Audre Lorde 

Connor sat on the couch and blankly stared at the TV, watching the news. Every channel was covering Chaos's attack on Empire City. His heart pounded as he watched aerial views of giant torrents of water flood the streets. To think that these events transpired only two days ago… Thankfully, Sonic had stopped it before the _entire_ city had drowned. If it wasn't for him, it would have been much more than that portion of Empire…

His grandmother Wilma stood nearby, watching the news reports as well. She looked at Connor, who looked utterly transfixed and _horrified_ by the images.

"How about we shut this off, Connor?" suggested Wilma. She grabbed the remote off the armrest and turned off the TV. "It's over now. We're safe. Everything's alright."

Connor slowly nodded. "Yeah… Yeah. I guess so."

"And…I know I've said this a million times already, but," Wilma said, "I'm glad you're safe. I was so worried about you… The flood seemed so close, even though it was far away. And I realized how empty my life would _really_ be if I didn't have _you._ "

Her newfound joy in life warmed Connor's heart. He managed a smile as he looked at her. "Th-thanks, Grandma. I love you."

* * *

"Well," said General Serkins, "I was _hoping_ we'd meet again under more…pleasant circumstances."

"Yeahhh, well, what're ya gonna do."

Super Sonic hovered high above the general. They were in the same exact alley they'd parted ways in weeks ago. Except, the alley was even more damp than before.

"So, uhm…" Super Sonic cleared his throat. "Are you gonna…y'know, _arrest_ me?"

"Well, I'll admit that the temptation did come up, but considering that you're now a golden flying hedgehog god, I don't think we _can…_ "

"Heh… I hope you know that if it wasn't for me, the entire planet would be underwater right now. Because Cha— Because _that monster_ sure as heck would've been a problem for you military peeps."

"Are you expecting a 'thank you' from me, Connor?" asked the general.

"Nah, I've been getting plenty of those from _other_ people."

"Then what _do_ you want?"

Super Sonic had to think for a moment. "I… I just… I wanna remind you that I'm here to help. I wanna be a hero. That's it. And…no matter how dark things get, I just want you to keep believing in me."

"But what if you betray my trust?" Serkins asked.

"If you know me, general, you'd know I'd _never_ do that," Super Sonic replied.

"It never hurts to be cautious," said Serkins. "Decades of military work will teach you that."

Super Sonic turned to leave, but the general stopped him.

"Connor, wait!" Serkins shouted.

"Yeah?"

". . . I still think you're a good kid, Connor."

Super Sonic could only smile. "Th…thank you, sir."

He put his fists in front of him like Superman and flew off.

* * *

" _Love_ takes off masks that we _fear_ we cannot live without and _know_ we cannot live _within._ "

\- James Baldwin 

School was back in session at Francis Howard High. It had been a good holiday break for everyone. Connor hated how school cut into his Sonic time, but he knew his education was important. He figured he could just make up for it during mornings and nights. School had put in a sense of order to his routine—something he'd gotten used to not having during the past few weeks.

After school, Wilma had called him and insisted she pick him up, since it was cold and icy outside, and he agreed. He waited in the front lobby, looking out the window and waiting for her car to pull up. Then he heard a familiar voice call his name.

"Connor!"

He turned to see Elise walking towards him.

 _Aw, crap,_ he thought. _Time to dodge some bullets, Connor…_

"H-hi, El-Elise," he said nervously. He was silently dreading for the moment she would bring up Sonic. "How, um… How are you?"

"Con, I need to talk to you," she told him.

 _Crap…_ he thought.

Elise sat down on a chair next to him and put her hand on his. "I… I need to be honest with you, Con," she said sincerely.

"Oh…um, _okay,_ " he said, shrugging his shoulders and smiling. "What's up?"

Elise used her free hand to brush her long, dark brown hair to the side. "I… I've been thinking a lot about you lately."

"Really?" he said, trying to sound surprised. "That's, uh… That's really… _nice_ of you, El—"

"No, hear me out first, Connor. Ever since that huge flood, I… Connor, I _can't_ stop thinking about you. I _try_ to think about other things, but I _can't._ Ever since you saved me from drowning—"

And there it was. He knew Elise would bring that up. How could she not? Thankfully, Connor had a contingency, and it started with one genius question:

"Elise, what are you _talking_ about?" he asked.

Her hazel eyes widened. "Wh-what do you mean…?"

"I mean, what do _you_ mean? You're not making a lotta sense here, Elise… I never saved you from drowning. Sure, if I was _there_ I _would_ have tried, but I wasn't, sooo…"

"But…that doesn't make any sense, Connor. When… When he fished me out, he told me to be brave, because that's what my mom would've wanted…then he mentioned your grandpa. He said 'Grandpa Gene'. I remember it."

"Elise…" Connor said calmly. The worst part of this was the fact that she was actually telling the _truth._ "That was a _really_ traumatic experience for you. Maybe you were hallucinating. I mean, don't get me wrong, I _believe_ that Sonic saved you, but I _don't_ believe that he mentioned your mom or my grandpa. I mean, how could he possibly know about that stuff?"

"Connor…"

"Also, Sonic is a _hedgehog._ I'm a human. It's just not possible, Elise."

She looked away from him. "Maybe you're right…" she said.

Connor was scared he'd just broken her heart. He hated that he had to lie to her, but he did it in order to protect her. It was just how it worked.

She looked at him again. "But that doesn't change my feelings for you, Con. Of all the things I could've hallucinated, I hallucinated about _you._ "

Elise leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek with her full, enviable lips. It wasn't just a simple peck; it was a full-on _smooch,_ and it caused a surge of warmth to course through his body. He sat there, in his wheelchair, like a statue.

Elise giggled. "Well, _say something,_ Connor!" she teased.

He looked her straight in the eye and said, "I think I just peed myself out of happiness."

* * *

"Why an old warehouse, Connor?"

"Because that's where the Emerald ended up, Miles."

As they made their way through the abandoned building, Connor and Miles were on high alert. After Super Sonic and Perfect Chaos's battle, the Master Emerald found its way to middle of one of Empire's warehouse districts.

"Hey, Miles?" said Connor.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry for blowing up on you the other day."

Miles scoffed. "Aw, it's all right. It seemed like you needed some space and some time to process things."

"Yeah, but that shouldn't excuse me yelling at my best friend."

"Think nothing of it. I understood then, and I understand _now._ "

"But sti—" Connor spotted something on the floor. "Hey, Miles, look!"

"Wha…?"

On the floor, in between two tiles, was a small rose.

Miles adjusted his glasses. "Is that from—?"

"The Emerald? Yep. C'mon. We must be getting close."

They turned the corner, and sure enough, the Master Emerald was there, in all its gorgeous beauty.

"I thought it would be…brighter," Miles observed.

"I'm still connected to its positive energy," Connor explained, "which allows me to go Super Sonic. I'm gonna give it back most of that energy, but I'll keep a little so I can still be regular Sonic."

Connor transformed into Super Sonic and floated out of his wheelchair. He approached the Emerald and put his hands on it. He closed his eyes and focused. In time, the golden hue of his body was back to its normal blue color, and the Emerald shined even brighter.

"Connor…" Miles said to Sonic. "When… You're _Super_ Sonic, what does it feel like?"

Sonic didn't even have to think of an answer. He smiled as he said, "Like Grandpa Gene is right there beside me."

SONIC  
THE HEDGEHOG

Ending Theme: "His World" by Zebrahead

* * *

 **Epilogue…**

 **G.U.N. Facility, Location Classified.**

"What am I looking at here, doctor?"

"Something _magical,_ captain."

"That's _commander_ now, doctor. Commander."

"Y-yes, I apologize."

The doctor and the new G.U.N. Commander stood in a dimly lit hallway, through a window into a large, white room. Inside of that room was—

"A Mobian…" the commander mused. "Huh…"

"Yes, sir," said the doctor. "Possibly the last living _pure_ Mobian."

"'Pure'…?"

"Y-yes. Sonic and Shadow The Hedgehogs did not originate from Emerald Island. This one, however, _did._ "

"Interesting…" said the commander. He watched in amusement as the Mobian punched at the walls, screaming in utter rage.

"What's the subject's name?" the commander asked.

The doctor cleared his throat. "He calls himself by the name…Knuckles."

* * *

 **Here it is folks—the end. I would like to thank everyone for reading, reviewing, or at least checking out this story. It is you guys' support that motivated me to finish this story. I believe that this story is successful enough to garner a sequel. The next time around, things are going to be a bit more…metal.**

 **What's next for Sonic before that? Well, sooner or later, he's gonna go face-to-face with a certain black- and red-colored hedgehog…**

 **Once again, thank you all!**


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